The Agents, the Aliens, and the City (Cancelled, being rewritten)
by book typewriter
Summary: This story is being rewritten in order to do it better a second time.
1. Timeline

2-10-2020: Around 1345 hours the world changed forever as unusual signals were recorded from both Mars and the ocean. Scientists were baffled but the majority of the world was blissfully unaware of what was happening. Governments are warned but at most put their militaries on heightened attention with orders to simply keep their eyes and ears open despite the scientific community crying out the same results repeatedly. At best, the signs are written off as anomalies that will pass with time.

2-11-202: At 1213 hours the world was immediately placed in a state of emergency as unknown spacecraft rained from the skies and rose from the ocean depths. While the public demands to know how alien life could possibly be missed on Earth after centuries of exploring the planet, governments scrambled their militaries and frantically attempted to contact the aliens. If there was any recognition it was ignored and humanity found itself caught in the crossfire of an interplanetary war. Nuclear assets, whether weaponized or civilian, are immediately targeted indiscriminately by both forces before they turn their focus towards each other. Many speculate the aliens viewing anything nuclear as a potential threat but have left humanity itself alone for the most part so far.

3-08-2020: Humanity begins to suffer greatly by the battles of the aliens and are soon viewed as an unwanted third party. Within hours, countries quickly find themselves under direct assault due to the few minor incursions that have occurred in the midst of the crossfire. Militaries, now ordered to change tactics from evacuating civilians and returning fire to total war, have almost no major success against the threats despite fighting on home ground and using what many consider superior tactics. Only special forces have any true success in fighting the aliens due to training, equipment, and more experience in general combat. In a desperate move to create an effective fighting force several nations reach out to one another and pool their best special forces and scientists into a singular organization. With the majority of the world in anarchy and the governments having to keep what remains of their countries alive long enough to live another hour, let alone another day, the force is given a carte blanche in all aspects with only one order "Win".

3-14-2020: Using a previously retired Cold War military bunker in an undisclosed location, the newly formed Extraterrestrial Combat Unit or X-COM begins to conduct operations against both threats. It quickly becomes evident however that X-COM must split its forces into two halves to battle the threats from above and below. Creating a joint command between the two branches of A-COM (Aquatic Combat) and T-COM (Terrestrial Combat), all aspects of warfare are changed and adapted to handle specific threats. Within weeks, both fronts begin to show steady results and bring in alien equipment and bodies (both dead and alive) to study.

6-27-2020: The following months have allowed humanity to catch its breath and reevaluate their foes. New technologies in the forms of energy weapons, magnetic firearms, revolutionary first aid surgical kits, and body armors built from materials captured from both fronts change the tide. Global conditions worsen but are ignored due to the greater threat. The aliens however become more and more displeased that their war is being interrupted by humanity and begin to target any large cities that are still standing. On several occasions, three way battles have occurred with collateral damage decimating the area.

9-17-2020: X-COM continues research into the alien menace while coordinating both its forces and the pockets of military that are still in existence. All countries are effectively erased and entire species are believed to have gone extinct. A question that has boggled the minds of all scientists is answered around this time and it is kept as a closely guarded secret until well after the end of the war.

4-01-2021: April Fools is marked as a turning point in the war due to X-COM launching a massive coordinated strike on several alien bases of both factions at once. The results are mixed and several experienced soldiers are lost but the "Fools Gambit" worked. Having full access to alien databases, humanity has the locations of enemy command and the means of cracking their transmissions.

4-22-2021: Finally unlocking the secrets the mysterious elerium, T-COM deploys plasma weapons with A-COM completing research into zrbite and begins development of sonic weapons a few days later. Both discoveries are considered by historians as the most important in human history due to the near limitless energy potential and weaponization of both element 115 isotopes.

5-10-2021: The "Battleship Duel" begins over the remains of India at 0317 hours. The aliens on both fronts amass their armadas in an epic clash that puts nearly every major naval engagement in humanities previous wars to shame. Spectators watch in awe as the two week battle litters the coast and countryside in corpses of hundreds of craft in all sizes. However the main contestants involved are the battleship class craft which are heavily prominent.

5-18-2021: X-COM, taking advantage of the crazed battle distracting the aliens, begins planning what would later be considered the greatest and most important attacks in human history. Using whatever forms of communication is left, soldiers from around the world are called to volunteer for the assault and are given coordinates on where to be picked up. All past grievances are put aside and it was stranger to not see soldiers of different nations, cultures, ethnicity's, and ideals banding together against a common foe. Humanity was on the brink of extinction and it would rather go down fighting aliens than other humans.

11-15-2021: Progress into the assault nears completion. Operation Martyr is briefed to all soldiers who are given one last chance to back out, none accept this option. With the aliens still licking their wounds from the Battleship Duel, the window to attack is set to launch counter invasions to Mars and the Mariana Trench.

1-13-2022: Operation Martyr begins at exactly 0000 hours T-COM launches two hundred Avenger craft towards Mars. A-COM launches Leviathan craft the next day in equal number and personnel.

1-14-2022: The Battle's of Cydonia and the T'leth begin. The aliens, caught completely off guard and possibly thinking little of the massive launches, scramble a defense. On Mars, T-COM soldiers storm the Cydonia region in what is later recounted as a "D-Day rush" using everything they have and even involve the Avengers to provide air support. In the Mariana Trench, A-COM aquanauts find the T'leth, a massive suborbital citadel that was forced into the ocean due to ancient damage, and breach its hull, engaging in a room-by-room push to fight their way into the heart of the alien super city. Both opening engagements last an unknown period of time but well over a week to gain a foothold. What follows on both fronts is the breaching of enemy command.

3-25-2022: A single message is heard around the world from T-COM channels that brings both joy and sorrow to all who hear: "Their grave is bigger than ours."

3-29-2022: The T'leth is spotted to rise above the Pacific around 2100 hours. Aircraft scramble to assault the massive craft but have no effect on it. Just as it reaches a mile in altitude an explosion is spotted followed by several more. The T'leth plummets back to the ocean before exploding in spectacular fashion. Collateral damage is extensive as coastal regions suffer tsunamis and the poisoned atmosphere grows thicker with pollutants.

4-13-2022: Alien activity has ceased since the destruction of both command facilities. The war is declared to be officially over. An estimated 5% of humanity is all that remains while 12% of all other animal and plant life is estimated to be alive. Minor incursions of lingering alien forces are reported but are utterly unfocused and wild. Clean up begins while memorials are constructed to honor the dead. The biggest memorials are built over the ruins of capital cities in all former nations.

2025: The following years prove to be a brutal challenge for humanity. Despite eliminating any remaining wild aliens and making great strides in cleaning the environment thanks to new technology, humanity is still suffering. Anarchy is rampant and no true forms of government are capable of handling the situation. X-COM in a bold move declares martial law over the planet and efficiently begins to bring order to the masses.

2034: The world has finally reestablished a sense of order and X-COM steps down from power. The cause of the alien war is quietly leaked to the public as well as the reintroduction of formerly extinct animals which are placed in secure zoos along with modified technology for civilian use. The public is surprised by the gifts from X-COM scientists but concerned about the cause of the war. The "aquatics" as they were called, are actually natives to Earth while the Martians hailed from the red planet. Their feud began long before humanity has evolved and almost ended with the extinction of the dinosaurs with Earth narrowly surviving the Cretaceous Extinction (in which the T'leth crashing being the creation of the Mariana Trench and the final nail in the coffin for the dinosaurs in conjunction to the Chicxulub Crater being formed by the Martians throwing an asteroid at Earth in the form of mass kinetic bombardment) while Mars is rendered a dead world. What began in 2020 was nothing more than their resurgence to finish their long forgotten ancient war with humanity just happening to be in the way.

2045: Earth has recovered further and the environment has shown signs of massive recovery but clean up is still required. X-COM slowly fades into a obscurity before becoming a global private military contractor (PMC). Expeditions to Mars have proven that there are no hostiles still on the planet and plans for a colony are drafted up. In July, a surprise discovery brings X-COM back into the spotlight as sectoid-human hybrids are discovered. The hybrids are quarantined but offer no forms of resistance other than sheer confusion. Investigations lead to a cloning facility that somehow survived the war and has been home to the hybrids ever since its end. The hybrids are carefully integrated into society.

2050: Mars is successfully colonized with multiple elerium mines forming its economy. To help relations with between the two worlds and the eventual future colonies, the Planetary Governing Union (PGU) is formed. X-COM once again is a PMC but is officially backed by the new PGU. Plans for a new "mega city" are drafted and construction begins over the remains of Toronto, Canada.

2054: Angry elerium miners rebel against the super corporation of Solmine. When the company calls X-COM to handle the rebels, X-COM refuses the minute they see the company's business practices. Earth and Mars, in need of the precious resource despite abundant zrbite, look for a new means of quelling the rebels. Solmine eventually finances a young but potential private security of the name Mars Security or Marsec for short. Within a few weeks, Marsec brutally puts an end to the rebellion and enters the corporate stage as a formidable weapons manufacturer and PMC. X-COM quietly condemns the new company.

2055: The year begins with the rise of two political lobbyists stemming from Earth and Mars, the Extropians and Technocrats respectively. Both fail to gain any political power but become somewhat popular in their ideals. Both share similar goals but the Extropians have a far stricter business attitude while the Technocrats are more socialist in their approach. Political jokes are made about the groups but the majority of both worlds ignore them as a whole.

2059: The Cult of Sirius is formed. No one knows where or specifically when this crazy cult formed but somehow they gain followers. Condemning X-COM, they claim that the aliens are the true masters of humanity and that whoever would have won would have been the rightful leader. The Cult easily becomes a thorn in the PGU and X-COM but despite their acts law enforcement proves to be difficult. Despite the extreme violence of some of its more radical members, the Cult covers its tracks exceptionally well, making them near impossible to touch. The PGU secretly orders X-COM, Marsec, and any other major PMC that polices the Solar System to conduct covert operations on the Cult, whether it be digging up dirt or rooting out cells.

2079: One year before Mega-Primus is finished, a surprise political shift allows both the Extropians and Technocrats to gain power in the city despite it being unfinished. Despite this, the city continues as planned and sees the rise of new mega corporations. The PGU states concerns about the new city state and warns that the mega city is still a test to see if future megacities are possible but is ignored. Mass transit giant Transtellar gains a monopoly on the city's interplanetary and taxi services.

2080: Mega Primus is completed and opened on New Year's Day and sees rise of new technologies being used in daily life. Many companies spring to life overnight while others begin to muscle their way in. Earth as a whole watches the city in interest while the PGU does so in concern. The city's functions are split into different categories:

Transit-Transtellar handling taxi and interplanetary; Superdynamics handling the People Tubes (later turned over to Transtellar due to business) and air based vehicle maintenance; and General Metro handling ground vehicles specializing in anti gravity hovering but still capable of using wheels

Energy-Solmine handling elerium power plants which are far more profitable than zrbite; Energen handling alternative sources of energy that quickly prove to be cleaner and cheaper than elerium despite having less power

Emergency-Megapol handling the city's emergency response units and acting a military

Maintenance-Synthmesh handles city repairs and groundskeeping

Medical-Sanctuary Clinic serving as a general public hospital service; Nanotech controls medical science

Technology-Cyberweb handles computer and technical science advances

Education-Lifetree handles the city schooling system and teaches through psionics

Entertainment: Sensovision handles the city's television services and introduces the new psionic projector technology; the Grav Ball League offers a new sport for the city and currently dominates all stadiums in the city

Food-Nutrivend mass produces food in an efficient and clean manner to the point where the city actually exports products

Waste disposal-Evonet handles all waste in the city and focuses heavily on recycling

The city also sees an introduction of Marsec offering an arms dealership and somehow the Cult of Sirius gains a foothold as well. Hybrids are allowed entry but are shocked to find extreme prejudice and quickly find themselves trapped with no means of easily getting out. Mega-Primus even goes so far as to distance itself from the laws of the PGU within months of becoming operational. Unable to directly interfere, the PGU backs off but keeps a close eye on the city.

2081: Synthmesh accidentally creates fully sentient AI. The situation is quickly controlled however and the AI's are granted citizenship. Weeks after the incident the android's face extreme prejudice and find support in the form of the hybrid population and any humans who are sympathetic to both groups. Later that year the hybrid population rallies under the Mutant Alliance organization while the android's unite under Sentient Engine Liberation Front (S.E.L.F.) and both parties begin a campaign to obtain equal rights in the city. To smear the image of the city further, an ex Marsec scientist develops the drug-like addictive implant called psiclone. Despite being banned a month after its development, it continues to a common commodity in the city's black market with almost no true oversight to deal with the situation. The PGU sends its own personal task force to crack down on smuggling and development of the implant but are unable to legally enter the city itself to destroy the source of it. Frustrated, the task force receives orders to keep implant within city limits but have "open season the moment anything goes into international territory".

2082: X-COM is offered a position in the city to act as a security firm. Officers debate on the decision and question the consequences. In a close vote, X-COM agrees but only after all potential candidates to handle the position are evaluated and educated about the environment. To avoid backlash, X-COM leaders publicly announce that they are forming specific division to handle the "delicate nature of the city". When questioned what this division will be and how will it affect the other divisions, the response is that it will be tailored to handle anything that can happen in the city and will be called Urban Combat or U-COM for short. Behind closed doors, the new division is unofficially nicknamed the Agency due to the fact it will be an espionage division as much as it will be combat.

2083: Candidates for the new U-COM are whittled down. Mega-Primus is further isolated from the rest of the world and what is seen is considered by many too good to be true. Mars erupts into another rebellion that is more organized this time and far more popular with a crack team of guerilla fighters leading the rebellion under the name of the "Laser Squad". Citizens stuck in the slums of Mega-Primus are caught in a deadly gang war between the city's most prominent gangs Diablo and Psyke with the mafia styled organization Osiron greasing the wheels of Senate. Megapol enters a heated competition with Marsec for weapons development and aggressively attempts to end the gang war and expand its market. Both minority group factions in continue to face prejudice with little ground being gain and some members resulting to more radical methods. Earth is still damaged from the war sixty years ago with cleanup coming to frustrating dead ends due to what is considered the failed experiment of megacities and having humanity too spread out to make any gains. The PGU, while powerful and effective, slowly starts to loose the faith of the public with very little to offer in an attempt to remedy the situation.


	2. 12-31-2083, 2340 The New Years Party

"We are live here at Mega-Primus in celebration for the new year. The city Senate has-"

 _PFFFFT!_

"Want to-"

 _PFFFFT!_

"X-COM is in need of new recruites-"

 _PFFFFT!_

"-a pinch of salt-"

 _PFFFFT!_

"-we have stood against the terrors of Mars and the ocean depths but we never know what else is out there. If interested in joining-"

 _PFFFFZZZZ!_

* * *

A Megapol officer sighed as he stared at his absurdly ancient television. Technically he was always on duty but his lieutenant gave him the night off to enjoy the new year. Yeah, fat lot that was doing. What did he consider enjoying the new year? Sitting in front of a crappy vacuum tube television that somehow survived since the early 2000's across family generations. Everyone else in the damn apartment building was more interested in having the cookout in the parking lot down below. Not him, he had to be sitting on his sorry behind in the center of one of humanities last hopes that was the painful concoction of 1920's Chicago ran by gangsters, New York City Tammany Hall ran by Boss Tweed, and Industrial Revolution London.

"Oi Copper! You in there?!" a distorted voice asked as the door shook by knocking.

"Yeah! Give me a sec Bolts!" he replied.

Outside was an android holding a bottle of champagne and a woman wearing a party hat. The three of them stared before they all went back inside.

"I see you brought Genes as well," Copper said.

"Oh stop it before I knock you unconscious with my brain," the woman said playfully.

"You do that and I'd have to tack you down to the station."

"Please. Everyone knows hybrids can't do anything without a stupid device anyway."

"So what are you doing up here anyway?" Bolts asked.

"Usual junk. Tired of the chief taking paychecks from the Senate to leave Orison alone, the fact the Cult is going bonkers, having to dodge bullets while armed with a stun grapple, the usual that gets me tired enough to stop really caring about anything and try to find something on a hunk of junk called a television to watch," Copper answered before falling onto his bed, "How about you two? Any usual crap?"

"Marsec tried to buy me...again," Bolts sighed.

"Failed another attempt at getting promoted at the hydro-farm," Genes sighed as well.

"So...the usual," Copper summed up the situation.

All three friends could only share a collective sigh. Mega-Primus was as bad as some cities could get. The really sad thing was that its poorest section involving the Mutant Alliance and S.E.L.F. were the real examples of how the city should work. The slums were crowded, not quite dirty but not quite clean either, and a sore spot when compared to the shiny skyscrapers and lavish parks of the rest of the city. But if one avoided the gangs and the more extreme members of the two minority organizations, they could find actual humanity in this aristocratic stinkpot. Hell, even the non-humans had more humanity than Sanctuary Clinic!

And then here they are, the most unlikely trio in the whole city. Three friends who live by nicknames as they did their day to day schedules. A police officer feeling more like an infantryman constantly given bogus orders, an android that was viewed as a machine despite actually having more life than half the city, and a hybrid tasked with a menial dead end job. They had nowhere to go, nothing to reach for, and only the knowledge that the next day would be roughly the same.

* * *

"Ah what the hell," Copper said as he got out three glasses, "Cheers and then games?"

"Sure," Genes immediately perked up at this.

"Prepare to get your asses kicked organics," Bolts said in a very bad robotic voice.

All three laughed before having the champagne. It was low quality and tasted more like lemon juice but what did they care? The city may treat them like they were trash but at least it acknowledged them as its inhabitants. After finishing the poor excuse for a drink, they turned the television back on and plugged in one of the ancient consoles that was older than the television itself. A real old classic that most kids would laugh at and call a "tech demo" at best if they were being generous but for them far better than the holographic 3D messes that dominated the market today. The usual affairs started, crazy controls, settings, the banning of certain items (which always got ignored five minutes later), and then archaic madness. Copper may have ancient hunks of junk but they were his hunks of junk and the rest of the floor knew it as well, making him one of the more sociable members of the force due to crazy competitions involving decades old video games.

Their game however was paused at the sound of muffled excitement outside of the window. Turning their focus to the clock, they realized the year had only a few seconds left. The moment it struck midnight, cheers broke out and fireworks all across the city lit up the polluted sky. Sure the city had a disgusting rot under the surface of its glamour that anyone could see right through, but it did have its perfect moments as well.

"Hmph, another damn year," Copper said.

"And it starts again. Probably will be the same as the previous three," Bolts agreed.

"Anything is better than nothing though," Genes said.

"Amen to that," Bolts agreed.

"Meh. We might have our issues, but at least they're our issues. Happy new year," Copper said with a smile.


	3. 1-18-2084, 1035 The Psyke Raid

Copper was not looking forward to this afternoon. They were raiding Psyke. Of course they were going to raid them. Ignore the mafia styled Osiron and their attack dogs Diablo, no head after the group that fights the most dirty. They may not have the economic power of Osiron or the sheer strength of Diablo but they were the crafty ones. They had no need for incendiary grenades or mass weapons fire. No, they know exactly how to fight asymmetrical warfare through traps and ambushes.

"Any questions?" the sergeant of the squad asked.

"Yeah I have one. Any support this time?" another officer asked.

"Hovercars are authorized but bolter's only. There's a bounty on any psiclone we nab, $45000 per implant."

That set off a few whistles and exclamations. The infamous implant was usually ignored until Evonet and Synthmesh come in to clean up. Now it seemed likely that the Senate wanted the drug-like device gone.

 _Too bad the corrupt bastards are supporting the ones who fund the bloody production_ , Copper thought bitterly.

"Anyone else?" the sergeant questioned.

"Weapons used?" Copper asked.

"Auto cannons loaded with AP, lawpistols, laser snipers, stun grenades and grapples, and smoke grenades. Plasma pistols and other rounds for the cannons are off limits and don't even think about grabbing an AP grenade."

Great...another assault where the merchandise and reward are more important than the lives of officers. This does make one wonder what the other branches of Megapol are like. The firefighter division probably has it the easiest considering very few fires actually break out in the city while the ambulance service probably hates the police division for the amount of madness they get into. Is it any wonder why the second largest expense in the entire organization is medical care? Maybe he should actually sign up for X-COM even if they are a PMC on an interplanetary level. At least they actually have a military moral code and not this business minded dog-eat-dog mentality. Sure, collateral damage followed them everywhere and thanks to the Planetary Governing Union they were forced to do...more questionable work but they were a far better choice than Marsec and Megapol at this point.

"Gear up and meet at the wolfhound. Mag and hovercars will serve as escort," a voice broke his thoughts.

* * *

The inside of the wolfhound APC was crowded and tense. Fourteen officers armed and armored patiently waited to reach the target building that they would raid. It was a rugged and formidable vehicle that can take punishment and even go off road thanks to its dual grav/4-wheel drive. The only problem with the one they were in was that it was unarmed. Every police vehicle these days is the equivalent of an early 21st century IFV and the minimal armament was a 40mm auto cannon that could rip holes into reinforced steel, not the most ideal weapon to have when you are trying to keep the battlefield relatively intact.

"So anyone know why we buy a Marsec APC for transportation but we can't get M 4000's? Seriously there's a reason why half the city has those things," an officer complained.

"Business bullshit as usual. Chief only allows the wolfhound because it's the only APC that can be purchased for domestic use," someone else answered.

A sad truth. Normal police cars barely had enough room for two officers and a suspect. Too bad the chief refused to purchase at least a few M 4000 machine guns. There was a reason why the street name for the infamous weapon was the "M4K" or the "Mega 4K". Loaded with a thirty six round drum and capable of firing 7mm Hornet rounds up to 980 RPM, it was a fearsome weapon that many officers would grab first chance possible. It dominated the streets of Mega-Primus with the only drawbacks being its low accuracy at long range and rather mediocre armor penetration. Still, the high rate of fire made these faults more of a nuisance and it could easily tear through the armor Megapol mass produces if the rounds hit the right areas.

"Who the hell buys an APC when there's the people tubes?" another exclaimed.

"You want to use them instead than be my guest. What I want to know is why an Extropian would purchase a griffin," Copper replied which earned a laugh from everyone.

It was the most idiotic political move of the decade, if not the century. The Extropians and Technocrats both went to near otherworldly measures to outdo themselves (thank goodness they were kept out of the PGU which actually had political power) but to buy a tank to get the financial backing of one of the most shady and questionable PMCs in human history was the peak of stupidity.

"Five minutes! Lock and load back there!" the driver called.

"Alright here's the plan," a sergeant called, "Cannons open the door before we smoke the room. Snipers pick off the guards before we move in. Stunners go right, smokers go left, cannons are front and center. Watch for Marsec mines and prioritise heavy weapons. Anything you personally capture will result in a bonus in your next paycheck a tenth of market value plus the thousand for conducting a raid. Stay calm and focused, money can wait until you get home alive."

 _Then why did you mention it in the first damn place?_ , Copper thought as he checked his personal lawpistol.

It felt comfortable in his hands, far more so than the stun grapple. Sleek yet powerful, it was the only weapon to have the same popularity as the M4K. 10mm Driller rounds in a sixteen round clip, accurate even for a pistol, and a semi automatic firing mechanism that flawlessly let the shooter fire as fast as they pleased made it a work of art. Where the M 4000 was spray and pray it was calculated lethality that demanded respect despite its ease of use. It was a modern M1911 reincarnate in his eyes.

"All set? If not then do so because here we go!" the sergeant yelled once the APC stopped.

* * *

The sad thing about gang slums was that you could just tell they were slums. At least the apartment supercomplex that Copper and his friends lived at looked more like a low wage condo than a wreck. This place however felt wrong despite the overgrown grass being the same color green as the grass back home. The feeling did not change any better once gunfire from the balconies above rained down.

"Damn it they were ready! Open fire!" the sergeant yelled.

So the raid was a SNAFU like the last one. Big deal. They just had to take the grav lift and stairs in the parking lot anyway. Hovercars above fired off their Bolter 4000 laser guns (who named those things should be slapped) which effortlessly seared through the walls. However the entranceways had a nasty surprise in the form of Megapol auto cannons loaded.

"Auto's! Move! Move! Move!" Copper yelled as he jumped behind a car.

Sniper fire was accurate but weak, an unfortunate side effect of having an underpowered laser but the energy did hit. Distracted by rounds moving at the speed of light, the thugs temporarily ceased fire long enough for Copper to pull out a stun grenade.

"Stun out!" was all he needed to say before the grenade hit the doorframe and explode.

The green Pacifier gas sprung out and instantly had effect on the thugs. Not willing to risk them surviving, he pulled out his lawpistol and fired two rounds into the chest of one of them. Friendly auto cannon fire did the rest.

"Good job! HC-7, are there anymore bastards on the balconies?!" the sergeant called.

"Negative! Balconies are either destroyed or clear of hostile presence. Be advised, unarmed civilians are present and thermals show large activity heading for the grav lift." the hover car in question responded.

"Alright we'll do the the stairs in a pincer. You! Stun boy! Grab one of those cannons and get ready to go upstairs with a squad," the sergeant ordered Copper before turning their attention somewhere else.

Pointman position now, the most dangerous task. Whatever happened to shotguns again? Oh right, bloody mutons and lobstermen had hides that could take a 12 gage slug and laugh it off. That and Megapol seems to be more interested in manufacturing weapons for military use than actually doing its real job. They could at least make something considering nearly all ballistic firearms use the gauss tech developed to fight the aquatic aliens.

Well at least he has something that can do the job. Picking up the heavy auto cannon, he unloaded the massive clip to check its ammo. Twenty rounds left, good. Even so, people are surprisingly tough enough to shrug off a 15mm Mace round blowing a decent sized hole in them...until a second or third round does the rest of the work. Still prefer the lawpistol.

"I want you guys to cover my ass here. You know how Pyske likes to play," he told the squad that joined him.

Going up the stairs was nerve wrecking. It was too quiet. Where were the civilians? Sure this was a gang hideout but it was impossible to root them all out and they were smart enough to run whenever all hell breaks loose. Keeping his eyes more to the ground than above the stairs,until he heard a dreaded beeping noise.

"Proximity mine," Copper warned.

Only a Marsec heavy launcher or high explosive would outdo the explosive power of the mine. It was an expensive device that could fetch a pretty penny if one could get their hands on one to sell. The problem is that once the thing was armed it required a remote to disarm and the stupid thing was undoubtedly in the middle of the stairway making it impossible to avoid.

"Sarge, we've got a mine on the west stairs, second floor. Impossible to commence floor sweep or proceed. Orders?" Copper asked over coms.

"Get over to the grav lift and head to floor three! Hostile squad on north stairs while another group was baited into a fight on floor five!" the order responded, matching perfectly with the amount of gunfire being heard.

"Alright you heard him so double time it to the grav lift!"

* * *

The Pyske lieutenant was annoyed. Damn Megapol. Getting crafty with their approaches to avoid the traps. No matter. Destroy one cell and another will take its place. People love psiclone for a reason. The implant made the drugs of the past insignificant. Why bother to inject toxins into your body when you can have the same experience for a one time purchase and no negative health benefits other than jamming an implant into your brain. Of course she would admit the little monsters called kids would be better off learning things in school so that they could actually be useful later in life but not her fault parents in 81 let them try it out.

But the morality of using the implant can wait. This cell was done for and the only exits were blocked, either by traps or by the police. They knew the risks of joining and if they died, they died. Life was cheap in Mega-Primus, especially in its underworld. Osiron could cut the funding and tip off a location to continue keeping relations with the Senate, Diablo could decide to get pushy and destroy an entire supercomplex to flex their muscles, or Megapol could come by in the name of cleaning the streets but would be doing so just so that they can have the power of holding the city. Last hope for humanity? What a joke. This city is humanity at its core. Greed, corruption, power, wholesale killing, the list goes on. The only real difference anyone will do in this hell hole is be another damn idiot to live here.

"We can't hold them," one of her underlings called.

"At least they were competent this time. Burn the documents and grab the explosives. Last one alive sets the charge," she ordered before grabbing a plasma pistol.

The grav lift was the most likely route that people would take to move up and down floors being fast and easy to use but it also was a bottleneck. Megapol however seemed to enjoy climbing stairs to avoid the meat grinder which typically would end up with them using it anyway since the stairs were easy to booby trap. So imagine her surprise when a squad of the hypocrites decided to use it.

"Keep going! I'll get her!" the leader yelled.

 _Damn it_ , she thought before firing a shot and running off.

* * *

Megapol plasma pistol, capable of vaporizing a mans chest at point blank range. A relatively rare weapon considering the fact that elerium was next difficult to use for weapons when it was better off as an energy source or a currency. That means Copper found the leader of this cell because only the best get the best toys to play with. It made him sick to think about the fact that the police could be so careless about a few missing weapons and then wonder how their officers were killed by weapons manufactured by Megapol in the first place. At least he has armor and she does not.

"Megapol! Drop the gun and you'll be given a fair trial!" he yelled, hoping to try the more diplomatic approach despite knowing better.

"Go to hell!" was the response.

Third room on the right, thin walls, and an auto cannon loaded, hopefully it will work. Despite the walls being thin and damaged due to neglect they can still soak up some punishment so direct aiming here was out of the question. Spray and pray tactics were his best chance. The auto cannon revved for a second before firing 15mm bullets at a rate of 250 RPM. It was slow but powerful and after a few shots the wall crumbled with the walls behind it covered in new holes. Once the cannon was empty, he threw it to the side before taking out a smoke grenade and his pistol.

 _No way in hell I'm trusting the stun grapple_ , he thought as the smoke grenade exploded and filled the room.

Stepping inside he searched carefully. He was surprised to find he actually hit someone. It was another gang member but not the leader. Body was chewed up badly, probably five solid hits plus shrapnel, messy business. Turning his focus to the door, he looked inside and was shocked to see a very large supply of Marsec high explosives sitting on the floor and table.

"Sarge we have a problem," he called.

"Tell me something we don't know! They just unleashed explosives!" he heard as a response.

"Yeah well HE rounds are the least of our concerns! They have enough high explosives to destroy this entire section of the complex! About ten-"

A plasma shot hit the wall next to him, shutting him up. Turning, he saw an outline and fired at it. He was surprised to get tackled and then kicked in the stomach. Armor took the brunt but it was a calculated kick. So someone smart and armed with a plasma pistol, not a good mix. His lawpistol was knocked out of his hand and thanks to the smoke he had no clue where it went. Ignoring it, he took a boxing stance and waited.

"Poor little cop. So high and mighty yet so stupid," a voice taunted.

Muffled and now that he was listening closely he could hear heavy breathing, gas mask. Smart move considering the fact he could have thrown a stun grenade. Probably made aiming a gun difficult though.

"Shut up and fight bitch," he snarled.

"Gladly."

Was that a knife? Where did the plasma pistol go? Probably lost it when he shot at her. Bigger problems to deal with right now. Blocking a swing, he threw a light jab aimed for her hip. The hit failed to connect but it did leave the leader open for a solid hook to the face. That knocked the gas mask loose which was another thing to add to his advantage. Grabbing the wrist, he managed to disarm her before dislocating the shoulder and forcing her into a kneeling position. All that was left was finishing the incapacitation by pulling out the stun grapple and firing it. Rather anti climatic but he would gladly take that over climatic.

"High value target subdued. Requesting assistance for ordnance defusal and removal," he called.

"Copy that, bomb crew and recovery team en route," was his response.

Sighing, he found his pistol and kept an eye on his target. The fight was almost over and by the time the leader began to stir the rest of the raid party was detaining those who have survived. All that was left was clean up and a report. What did he care about the money bonus? It was going to get embezzled anyway. The only good thing he could see that happened was that he captured his target alive and not dead.

* * *

Once he got home the first thing he did was go to the bathroom and wash his face. Copper was a difficult man to understand when it comes to his work, especially by himself. He knew what he was doing when he signed the dotted line. He has seen and done some things most people would be horrified to see. The scary thing was that he was indifferent thanks to the conditioning he received. Irreversible brain conditioning that gave him the mental stability to look at a war scene with indifference. He could witness the disturbing works of murderers and see nothing more than clues. He had emotions but when faced by things that should sicken him he had none. That was what horrified him. Not that he was shocked at the sight but rather that he was cold to it.

 _You're not a sociopath_ , he told his reflection.

With a sigh he grabbed a drink from the fridge and put on the television to watch the news about the raid earlier. Usual junk was involved about it and it was sheer propaganda. Not bothering to listen he stared out the window just in time to see the last few rays of light across the city. The pristine buildings in the distance, the people tubes hurdling masses, sky cars zipping about, it was something out of a movie brought to life.

"Hell of a view," he said to himself as he nursed his drink.

Maybe that was what he was fighting for and maybe the city actually had something human in it. Every time he looks out his window and sees this he realizes that the average citizen is just an average citizen. Sure there was a festering rot under that glamour but on the surface was a city that was alive. Filled to the brim with corruption and petty greed but it was still a city.

"Well it might be a hell hole," he said as the news suddenly reported a skirmish between the gangs erupting that he could see, "But it's still home."


	4. 1-19-2084, 1245 The Smelly Experiment

Lunch in a hydro-farm is an odd event. The gigantic glass tubes filled with artificial fields and pastures certainly gave off a picnic-like setting but it also felt weird. Genes chalked it up to the artificial atmosphere. Nutrivend refused to spend anything less than needed to make everything perfect and the hydro-farms were the pinnacle of this example. Everything is controlled to be perfect and if it was so much as a fraction wrong there would be hell to pay. So to avoid any contamination of their precious crops, management demands that all meals are eaten in specifically sealed clean rooms.

 _Funny. They are in the food business and yet they are terrified that food will ruin their business_ , Genes thought to herself.

Shoving the last remains of a sandwich into her mouth, she cleaned up and went back to her station. Arriving, she was greeted by a computer that showed statistics animal feeding. Cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, goldfish, ferrets, tarantulas, if it could be a pet or eaten it was taken care of on the farm. Thanks to A-COM years ago they even have a few dinosaur templates but those were off limits. But she could careless if the cows were being fed nutrient rich genetically enhanced grass that makes them produce better milk and steak. No, she had a different focus.

"Alright Stinky," she whispered as she pushed a button to signal her pet project, "Let's see how you're doing."

* * *

About three stories above a skunk was busy playing with a ball. It was obviously no ordinary skunk and was a special variant. Unlike the few true wild skunks somewhere in the world or the other genetically engineered variants, this one was exceptionally intelligent. Tell it to add two plus two and give it a multiple choice and it will pick the right answer. He is meant to be the next variant of pet skunks but every new generation had to be carefully engineered. The previous generation was tamer and came without their scent glands but had the intelligence of an ordinary skunk. He on the other hand was intelligent and perfectly capable of hosing someone.

Hearing small bell being rung and seeing a light flash, he excitedly went back to his cage and waited. The cage closed once he sat down and was picked up by a crane. The short ride ended with him being placed on a dumbwaiter which went down to the caller.

"Hello Stinky. How's the worlds most intelligent gas bag doing?" the woman he knew as his caretaker asked.

He answered by playfully sniffing her hand once the cage was opened. This earned a laugh from her before he was picked up and set down on the floor. Not contempt to just be in the same room, he attempted to beg the way he saw a dog did to get attention. His award was a ball that he knew had something inside of it. Now if only he could open the tricky thing...

* * *

Genes was still amazed at the intelligence Stinky displayed. Even if her job was boring and the farthest she got was overseeing the development of what is considered a failed experiment, said failed experiment made up most of the negatives. Leaving him to handle the ball that housed a few scraps of jerky, she turned her attention back to the computer. Everything was the way it...ah! There was the reason why the chickens received a smaller meal than usual. Evonet was cutting corners again in an attempt to undercut the company by the looks of it. Oh well, send the report about running out of the recycled feed to management and they will handle it. Not her problem anymore. The company might have its jackasses but they at least put business over pettiness.

Everything else was in order. Turning her focus to a terminal, she entered the report and logged the status update on Stinky. This however was put on hold when she realized she forgot something important.

"Oh damn it all! Sorry Stinky but I've got to run fast," she apologized before picking up the disgruntled skunk and sending him back to his holding pen.

Once that was handled, she ran out of the room and headed to a different section of the hydro-farm. Management might let the chicken feed slide since it was out of her control but they would kill her if she failed to generate a report on why there was a fungal infection in the next harvest of cauliflower. A few minutes was all it took, but for here it was an eternity.

"Look who finally shows up! Too busy smelling that skunks ass to care about food production?!" her supervisor exclaimed.

"No excuse sir," she replied out of breath.

"Well get to work! Unbelievable, best geneticist we can buy is a bloody empty minded idiot."

She held back the comment that grew in her mind. Saying it would get her fired and a job where you were treated like the cow manure was better than no job at all. Still, she had the knowledge that could run circles around these so called "farmers" and "scientists". Her brain was what got her a position in this city when it opened, too bad it got her trapped as well. Oh well, best make due with what she has and that involves doing work.

The cauliflower did seem to have something worse than a simple fungal infection, looks more like it got hosed in some kind of fuzzy radioactive goo. Fertilizer? Unlikely since it is as organic as it gets. Wrong setting on the UV lamps? Unless someone wants to get processed in the next monthly food shipment supply that is unlikely also.

"Which group was this from again?" she asked, trying to remember specifically why this harvest was having issues.

"Group AG-7," a lab worker answered while working on their own assignment.

AG-7... The cross breeding of two different vegetables to form a super one. That would answer it. Stupid waste of time and resources in her mind but the board never claimed to be smart about actual farming. Did any of the other AG series suffer similar results?

* * *

Stinky was pacing for the better part of the afternoon. He knew that his caretaker was busy but he hated being ignored. Well, perhaps not ignored but treated with indifference. She never did this since her work was important but it was quite aggravating to be constantly reminded that he was a "side project". If he recalled the proper wording, he was "a living being damn it!" which took precedence over some silly plant that was fine before it was tampered with. Sure the same could be said about skunks in general but at least a skunk has a brain and a heart, even the unintelligent ones.

"This one it?" a voice asked outside his pen.

"Yes sir. Subject ISK MK.4 #000, nicknamed Stinky," another voice answered.

That number. They had to use that wretched number. Normally a skunk would care less but not this one. They made him smart and they treated him like he was an animal and not a living being.

"Intellect is comparable to a human adolescent but we probably overdid it. Also...it was impossible to raise the IQ levels without removing the glands," the second voice reported.

"Has it sprayed anyone?" the first one questioned.

"A few but we believe it's due to someone intentionally teasing it."

No it was because no one bothered to treat him with decency. He would show them why it was stupid to assume he was unintelligent even when they just claimed he was smart.

"And are you sure it works well with her? For all we know she is using psionics on it," the first said in a tone he did not like.

"Sir studies have shown that even the most powerful psion today requires the aid of a projector to do anything. There is no one with the brain capacity to do what an ethereal could do," the second commented.

The panel that allowed one to peer into his pen opened. Outside were two men, one in a suit the other in a uniform. He could easily tell which voice belonged to whom. The suits always gave him a sense of disgust while uniforms were...tricky considering they gave him mixed impressions.

"So this is it... Fine, let her have the damn thing. And figure out how to make the next batch dumber and less smelly. Why the bloody city allows these things as pets is beyond me," the suit growled.

The only thing separating him from the suit was a wire grate. Seeing a perfect opportunity to go into the cage that would send him to his caretaker and get some revenge, he turned around and raised his tail. The uniformed man yelped while the suit turned around just in time to get sprayed. The sounds of his pained and angered screams as the liquid burned his eyes and nose while ruining the expensive suit were quite pleasant to hear. That will show him for insulting both him and his care taker. Once he was in his cage, he awaited the crane to pick it up and carry it to the dumbwaiter. It was a surprise to be going a different direction and a longer wait this time. Where was he being sent to?

* * *

Gene's closed her apartment door and fell onto her couch in a tired sigh. The bloody cauliflower took the entire damn afternoon to figure out and then she was yelled at by another department for neglecting the production of olives. She swore it was because she was a hybrid. She was given triple the work and flak for less than half the standard pay. Some coworkers tried to be helpful but most were indifferent sadly. Nutrivend might make more money in a week than the Senate does in a month but they sure as hell make sure its workers get crappy pay. It was the definition of a pure capitalist business policy.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door was knocked. Outside was her landlord (or at least the one for the complex she lived in).

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Sorry to bother you but did you order any pets?" the landlord asked holding a box that...was meant to house small pets shipped straight from Nutrivend.

"No. I don't even have the money to buy a fish tank," she answered looking at the box.

"Well an autotrans dropped this critter off specifically for you. I'm not entirely sure what is inside but it's asleep."

"Did the box come with any papers?"

"Oh right! Here can you hold this for a sec? Now where did-aha! There they are. I just need you to sign these quickly and I'll be out of your hair," the landlord produced documents.

Putting the box down gently and grabbing a pen, Genes signed the papers after reading the legal statements. Satisfied, the landlord produced a small pamphlet stating that it was specifically for her before wishing her a good night. More curious on just what was in the box, she pulled out a steak knife and cut through the tape. Inside was a very familiar skunk.

"Stinky? What?" she exclaimed as the half drugged skunk stirred, signaling it was partially awake.

Looking at the pamphlet, she realized why she now had a pet skunk. Management was furthering her experiment in researching him by making him her pet. A small salary bonus was being thrown in to cover expenses and she was to report at the end of every week and yada, yada, yada. Corporate bullshit was involved here but at least she could actually do her job right with the added bonus of having a pet. It would take some explaining on why she had a skunk as a pet and her neighbors would have to be warned but it would be nice to have permanent company in her apartment.

"Well looks like someone is in need of a bed," she said to Stinky who was struggling to climb out of the box, "Let's get you settled in."

* * *

Stinky was very confused. Why was he so tired? Why was he with his caretaker in this strange place? And why was he being placed on a pile of bed sheets that were far more comfortable and soft than the metal floor of his pen? He had no clue what was going on but for some reason he liked it. He would understand it later but right now...soft bed sheets...


	5. 2-06-2084, 1311 The Software Test

Cyberweb was still a robotics company but in Mega-Primus there always was the added benefit of joining the arms race. Bolts always felt uncomfortable when he saw the standard robot being assembled or doing a mundane task since it represents what people see him as and what he almost was. But that was not what he was focused on right now. Instead, he busy flying a phoenix hovercar in a dogfight against a valkyrie interceptor. Well, a simulation really but it was as close as possible to the real thing without it being the real thing. Gravity, wind, weather, traffic, random dust particles, the simulator was as complex as it was expensive. It had to be if the Marksman Targeting Matrix KN-9PX1 software would have any chance in being approved for military use. The simulator was the best means of testing the software in a lab and the cheapest when compared to traditional testing.

At the moment, Bolts felt pretty good with just flying the hovercar but a few run times inside of him had the satisfaction of dodging the simulated interceptors prophet missiles while giving it a solid taste of janitor missiles. The valkyrie was by far the more powerful craft in this fight but even with another pilot at its controls he had the advantage. First off, he was originally designed to handle combat vehicle control on the ground and in the sky. Second, he had the software running beautifully. Sure it gave him only a 10% added bonus in terms of accuracy (well, it was supposed to and by the statistics gathered it was only doing 8.45% at the moment due to a bug somewhere) but it made a large difference. Already the missile guidance systems were fairly smart for both Janitor and Prophet but with this...even blind idiots could see the added benefit of the system.

"Alright that's enough. We have the data for the rockets," an intercom spoke before the simulation terminated.

Bolts inwardly groaned. He wanted to keep flying. He was programmed to fly damn it. But he did do fairly well if he could say so himself. Going up against a superior foe and coming out on top was not easy. Now if only he could apply for a job where he could fly...

"Alright we have another test this time. Two Marksman units combined with a Chaff T-18I module. Same...wait who are you? Hey! You're-" the intercom cried out before the simulator turned completely off and the capsule opened.

"This hunk of junk again? How many times do we have to say that unless it's Marsec property it can not test Marsec equipment?" a very familiar Marsec official demanded.

"And just who the hell do you think you are to determine Cyberweb business practices?! Marksman is our program and we have a deal with Megapol as well," a technician yelled.

"Oh really?"

"Hey asshole," Bolts interjected, "I'm not a piece of hardware that you own. I am an employee and unless you want me to fall behind on the testing which will delay Marksman than piss off."

This resulted in the official taking a hard look at Bolts before looking around. Several other employees were glaring and not pleased with yet another Marsec interference. No doubt security was also getting irritated. The only reason why the shady bastards were allowed to visit in the first place was because the company executive board gave them free clearance. But this was a factory run under a manager. Factories had...accidents when people believed they could do whatever they pleased.

"Fine. Keep your bugged piece of crap. But realize that until either a proper test is commenced or a Marsec drone does the testing the deal is off," the official spat before leaving.

"How do they keep getting here? I thought we changed the card readers," Bolts growled.

"Can't help when the higher ups give them master cards," the technician sighed.

"Would who ever is responsible for the incident in the software labs report to the administration office...again," the building PA system crackled in a tired voice.

* * *

Bolts was considering to throw the equivalent of a temper tantrum. He had emotions but he could easily keep them in line. Probably the best thing to do so also considering what he just heard.

"I assume there's no talking out of this," he stated rather than questioned.

"Listen I don't like it anymore than you do. Hell, you spot more bugs in new software for vehicles than the entire programming team combined. But we can't keep having these issues. My ass is on the line here and so is yours along with every other android employed here," the manager sighed.

Bolts knew it was not easy for the manager. This factory was one of the original developers for androids and had a rather good standing with S.E.L.F. because of the generous work. The issue came from the higher ups and specifically Marsec. Marsec for all intents and purposes had the best military hardware in the city and would commit murder to keep it that way. To make it worse, Bolts was supposed to be a combat flyer for them but his sentience got in the way which has caused more than a fair share of issues.

"So now what?" Bolts asked.

"Short of paid leave? I assign you to the debugging section. I know it's not what you want but we have to get Marksman ready by Valentines at the earliest," was his answer.

Debugging. An androids most dreaded job. Sure he would probably be assigned to vehicles to avoid moral debates with the robots but there was always the possibility of catching a virus. Confuses everyone but somehow androids can get "sick" if a line of code gets corrupted. Debugging increased the risk by a large amount and it can take hours to clear out the bugged code, sentient programming or not. It was safer to use a standard terminal and debugging software but in Cyberweb needed things running like clockwork which demands hard line connections to do the job fast. He typically finds the bugs and leaves specific robots to handle it but the debugging section would certainly take advantage of the faster and more accurate android.

"No other test openings?" he asked hopefully.

"None. Chaff won't need it until we get Marksman working and you already know the story about the latter," the manager said sadly.

Might as well try to rewrite some firewalls while on the way down there. Hopefully most of the bugs will be minor problems that can be fixed easily and that there were no viruses...nasty things. Let alone the fact an android could get the equivalent to the human flu but that would mean the company responsible needs to rework their entire netcode which could halt the city for a week at best while they search for weaknesses that allowed said virus in.

* * *

Debugging was a microcosm in a robot factory. Usually companies would service their own vehicles but when it was too difficult for their engineers (who were idiots) they sent it to the debugging divisions of Cyberweb (also known as android hell). Bolts was fairly certain that even the robots had a fear of the debugging division even if they had their entire existences programmed. The fact it also was in the basement hangers was another reason it was out of the way (and why it was considered android hell).

"You must be that software tester from upstairs," a computer engineer said as Bolts exited the grav lift.

"What's needed to be done?" Bolts asked blankly, not expressing any emotion.

"Easy there. We know androids hate this but the faster it's done the faster you go home. Hell, we'll give a bonus for each vehicle you debug."

Now that was a nice addition...if he were organic. Still, paying for rent and energy bills did leave a lot to be desired. A poster in place of a printed picture, potted plants instead of plastic, a pet fish at the very least...organics truly did not know the simple joys of having something seen as an everyday commodity when they never had to deal with imitations.

"Right then," the engineer stated, "We have three airtrans, a space liner, and a certain griffin that somehow has Beethoven being played on loop. Never did like that politician and not just because he was a Extropian."

Beethoven? Beethoven?! They bugged it to play Beethoven?! Sure the idiot drives the thing like it is a damn car but out of all the things to annoy a politician with they had to pick Beethoven. Just how boring was it down here for the debugging team that they pull pranks of politicians?

"I assume that the griffin will need...special attention in order for it to be...'debugged'?" Bolts asked with some humor in his voice.

"Your pick of music since we're going to put you through hell. Do us a favor and make it as annoying as possible," the engineer smirked as an answer.

Well, that can come later. At the moment, the other vehicles should be handled first. Airtrans were vital for the city since they were best means of cargo hauling across the many districts. Those would be first and the space liner would come after those. With that in mind, he hooked himself into the first one and got to business.

* * *

"What do you think it's like to see actual code? Like, the way a computer does?" Bolts heard in the distance.

"Ones and zeros? Energy streams? Something from that old kid movie from last century? How should I know?" another responded.

They were not completely right or wrong. Each android saw code differently. Bolts, ignoring them as they stared at screens in the real world, stood before what he could best describe as a robotic brain. It was not a CPU but a human brain that is metallic instead of organic. Cold, gray, and coated in circuits. The weird thing was where he was connected to it and it to him, the "brainstem" was coming out of his chest where a heart would be.

 _Okay...why does always happen?_ , he thought briefly before he began searching for bugged code.

Unlike the engineers and technicians who had to rely on keen eyes and algorithms he just had to look for what was out of place. Some lines were hard to spot such as a color that was the wrong shade but blended with the background, others were easy such as a giant golf ball vibrating and being the color of hot pink in room filled with bowling balls. It depended on how bad the code was and each object he saw in the matrix.

 _Alright there's one bug. Huh, first time it really is a "bug"_ , he talked to himself as he walked up to the oversized termite that was trying to gnaw its way into a robotic nerve cluster.

All that was needed for this was a materialized can of insect spray. It was a simple thing to think up and rather appropriate considering. Sure it was awkward to see an gigantic insect trying to eat its way into a metal wall of a metal brain but who was going to judge? The airtrans? They might be smart enough to handle shipping and navigation but they were complete and utter idiots to everything else. First time he personally met a core CPU of one he insulted it and it asked him to clarify his shopping order.

But thinking about the odd quarks of diving headfirst into the code of another machine is not how one gets bugged code out. Time to "kill" this bug and move on. There are several other bugs in this airtrans and there were other vehicles as well.

* * *

Bolts eventually got home and barely managed to get to the couch before falling over. He felt pretty bad which was to be expected after contracting five bugs. Nothing a night of defragging could not handle but it sure did a number on him. Still, the thought of the politicians face when they would hear nursery music sung as heavy metal was enough to make him chuckle. Oh what he would give to see that if he could. Too bad he had to put up with the crap from Marsec. Bloody bastards, hopefully Laser Squad took over and kicked out Solmine as well just for the hell of it.

Groaning, he fumbled for a moment before turning on the radio to listen to the news. Another gang battle? Again? How many does that make this week now? And just how in the hell did the Cult get a bill passed? Not interested in listening to the city become more of a disaster he turned off the radio. Groaning, he got up and went to the fridge. Even if an android did not need food and had no taste buds did not mean he could not entire a drink of soda. Right now, he needed something to be broken down for energy since plugging in was the equivalent of sleeping and he also just needed a damn drink.

"What am I doing with my life?" he asked himself as he watched the city sky traffic in the distance.

He gets kicked from testing Marksman, relegated to debugging, gets bugged himself, and his only solace was annoying a politician. He needed out of this city. Fly a combat craft, drive a taxi, give driving lessons through virtual reality, something! He was meant to be in control of a vehicle and he was stuck to debugging!

 _Life isn't giving me lemons it's giving me piles of poo_ , he thought angrily as he finished the soda.

Taking a minute to calm down, he began to think on how he could get back to software testing. Maybe when Cyberweb realizes that Marksman will take longer they will tell Marsec to grow up. That would be a dream come true. But first things first:

"I hate debugging," he muttered as he began to clean his OS.


	6. 2-24-2084, 0234 The Agency Begins

Name, date of birth, parents, nationality (does that still count since there are territories these days and not really nations?), even favorite color have been blacked out. The new Commander for U-COM was a complete and utter mystery to the world. Probably for the best considering where she was going, Mega-Primus. The only name she would have is Susan. Not the worst name to be stuck with, better than the cover op two years ago to stop a madman from unleashing cloned chrysalids to take over Earth (but that was one crazy ass cat he had as a pet).

Brushing memories aside, she knew her life in a few hours was about to get complicated. Mega-Primus wanted her to be their personal attack dog which they were dead set on having. Absurd regulations and laws would require less savory approaches to getting info about the city but this might be one of the few times where the ends justify the means. For now, learn the how the city works, keep her head down, and do everything she can to dig up dirt on everyone in that city. Solmine, Marsec, Transtellar, the Senate, Megapol, even Evonet were all to be exposed if at all possible. Any who thought they could hide from the law behind those walls were in for a very rude awakening when she was through with them.

But before she could do anything, she needed to reach the city which would take hours. Humanity has waited four years for someone to get into Mega-Primus, it can wait a bit longer. She did wonder how her real home was doing though...

* * *

"Any questions...Commander Susan?" the Director of X-COM asked.

"None sir. I know what's at stake here," Susan answered.

An hour earlier was a different life, a different time. "Susan" was a simple lieutenant on the XCV Solarflare, the most powerful human interplanetary warship short of the Terra which was the flagship for the PGU. X-COM may be officially a PMC but unofficially it was what it started as, a coalition of the best of what humanity can offer for the greater good. T-COM, A-COM, U-COM, it did not matter what branch they served as. It all was X-COM and X-COM was the best damn fighting force in human history. Forged in plasma fire, cooled in the deepest pits of the oceans, and hardened in the worst war along its aftermath. They are not suits of armor with guns, they are the secret police that step in when and where they were needed the most. So when the PGU ordered that U-COM find a way to take control of Mega-Primus, she will see that order through.

"I may be old but I can still tell what's running through someone's mind. Permission to speak freely granted Commander," the Director said gently.

"Sir...With all due respect I personally think we are wasting time with this. We should have sent a strike team to capture the city and those greedy sons of bitches the second they went rouge," Susan stated.

"Under normal circumstances I would agree but unfortunately these are not normal times. Contrary to what many believe Mega-Primus has far more power outside of its borders than it should thanks to its economic infrastructure. Solmine could cut all production of elerium mining and refinement, Marsec could secretly distribute weapons to rogue factions, Nutrivend...well you understand the picture. Even the relatively clean groups are corrupted and we need to expose that. An attack will scatter them and let them regroup elsewhere. This requires a scalpel Commander, not a sword."

Susan could only sigh as she nodded her head. Hopefully this will go by faster than the last infiltration mission she had. Besides, she was curious to see how well the unshackled tasoths would be in the next few weeks. Just because they were used by the aquatics did not mean they were evil. If anything, the poor things were the closest to a sapient dinosaur to naturally evolve which were brainwashed and controlled to be shock troops. Some might want all aliens to be extinct but the PGU did give X-COM the chance to give them a chance. At the very worst, they make a bunch of animals that will be detained. At the best...well hybrids have integrated well enough.

"Remember, find hard evidence and the PGU will green light a take over. Earth needs megacities, Mars needs hope, and the entire system needs stability. All of that starts with cleaning out that snake pit," the Director said.

"Understood sir. I'll make make it work," she replied.

"Good. Oh, and Commander try to keep Mega-Primus in one piece. Even if it would be simpler to burn it to the ground it is a civilian facility with people trying to live their lives in that rat nest."

* * *

Rat nest...kinda accurate for the general atmosphere just under the surface. Once she saw it from the air late morning she felt like she need to throw up. Lavish buildings, pristine grass parks, corporate HQs being mansions in their own rights...it was gaudy and sickening. It is one thing to have a distinct upper class, it is another to have the entire city being upper class. Well, most of it...

"Welcome to Warehouse 2," the Megapol Chief of police stated as the police hovercar flew down an access tube.

It was a typical warehouse building one would find in the industrial section of any city. Still, there was that ugly atmosphere just beneath its surface. Hell, the slums in the center of the city were a better representation of what Susan felt for this place. But this specific warehouse was going to be home and the building was a cover. Maybe the true interior would just need some...spring cleaning to get the putrid stench out.

"As you can tell, the Senate likes to have things kept quiet so they choose this place. There are a few slums that could be used but that raises attention. Much better to stay quiet in my opinion," the Chief continued talking.

 _Shut up you corrupt bastard_ , Susan internally growled.

There also had to be something that made everyone angry in this city. Maybe it was the air? The ozone layer still was heavily damaged after all.

"Well, here we are. I would give the tour but I'm afraid I have other duties to perform. There should be a database in your office on the other side of the facility," the Chief said as the car set down in what appeared to be a hanger.

"Thank you for your hospitality," she replied, keeping her tone respectful despite her feelings.

"You're welcome and welcome to Mega-Primus."

The car rose as soon as she got out. So far, no base personnel which was both good and bad. Well, at least she might be able to choose who will be part of U-COM. Wandering the halls revealed the base was split into two parts with an access lift in the center. The east side housed labs, engineering, vehicle repair, and containment. She was pleased to find defensive measures in place since the hanger was an unavoidable opening past exterior defences should anything get through. The west side did not have any defences save for a choke point near the access lift. This side had housing, a med bay, training grounds, and supply storage. Good, at least they set up a base where personnel were not expected to sleep near containment or the hanger. The place was still a death trap should everything end in disaster, but so were the original bases from the war.

Finding an office for herself, Susan got settled in. The computer did have the database mentioned and had all the information she would need.

"Vehicles, stores, UFOpedia? The hell is a UFOpedia?! Is this supposed to be a spoof on the X-COM data files?" she exclaimed as she opened up the oddly named source.

Information about city organizations, the various vehicles, weapons, equipment... Seriously? They had to make a military encyclopedia. No manuals like normal people it had to be on a computer. That was dangerous. Sure computers had storage space and usability but no one can hack a piece of paper. Well, since she has to deal with it for now, what does this base have in stock?

* * *

"Of course the place uses crap," Susan growled as she stormed out of storage.

The majority of Megapol weapons were underpowered for military use while Marsec was overpriced. To make things worse, both absolutely refused to supply any of their better stock and she would be forced to purchase it once any paper work got through. Did everything in this bloody city have to be business? The only thing that was balanced in terms of accuracy, stopping power, and pricing was the lawpistol! M 4000 machine guns were a good compliment but were over glorified Tommy guns, the auto cannon was too slow and designed more like an oversized SMG instead of fitting the role of a proper LMG, grenades were underpowered, the stun grapple an overpriced broken taser, and the laser rifle, oh that sorry excuse for a laser! Underpowered, cumbersome, scope suffers from calibration issues, and forced to run on power cells. And they even dare to call that flashlight a sniper when the first energy weapon developed by man had more issues than muskets and still outperforms the hunk of junk Megapol calls a "laser". It falls far behind the original MK.4 DEW battle rifle which T-COM deployed as its first laser weapon and had enough weight, thermal output, and unwieldiness for its use.

"Going to have to make due with it," she groaned as she headed back to her quarters, "At least vehicle armament is decnet."

Would be nice if the vehicles looked more like the wolfhound and not sports cars and if the weapons had a better punch to them but those were trivial in comparison to the small arms. Of course, the decent plasma based weapons and heavier interceptor were off limits as well but considering she could start off with getting a supply of WMDs as a replacement was...beneficial. Sure, a justice or even a retribution missile was overkill even against alien battleships back during the war but it was amusing that she could arm vehicles with those and not high tier plasma cannons.

All in all, the base stock was a mix of mediocre and inadequate equipment and above average armaments for unimpressive vehicles. She would have to work with these items and make the best out of it. Any personnel hired will have to do the same. Hell, they all will have to pull triple duty if the Agency is to do its work.

"Time to see what kind of people I'm working with," she said with determination as she began to look at potential recruits.


	7. 3-06-2084, 1154 The Gates Open

Copper took another slow drink from his thermos. The graveyard shift was another dreaded assignment for Megapol officers. While it could be the safest assignment (assuming nothing happens that is, if something did it could be the most dangerous), it was the most boring. Nothing could keep him awake. Not the strong coffee, not the long naps throughout the week, and certainly not that obnoxious radio either playing bad music or blaring police reports.

"Come on now. We don't need you falling asleep here," his partner for the night said.

"I won't. Just hate this," he grumbled.

"You and me both. Say, don't you live in these parts?"

"No."

The other cop shrugged as he continued flying the hovercar. The city was quiet and hopefully it would stay that way. No shootouts with gangs, no psiclone deals busted and having to explain to parents why their teenage children are behind bars, and no other funny business of any kind was wanted. While Copper normally would be all set to bust criminal activity, he would make an exception during the graveyard shift since he was no night owl.

"Hear about U-COM? Half the applicants around the city are complaining that they got turned down. Amazing that some people actually believed that crap from the Senate," his partner said in an attempt to pass time.

"To be honest I'm surprised anyone would want to join them nowadays to begin with," Copper said.

"Why's that?"

"Nothing personal against them but they're a PMC. Sure they are on the PGU payroll but they look out for their own. If they really care about the future of humanity they would do more than doing jobs for money."

"Look, I know you have a strong opinion against the city but Mega-Primus is its own entity and if you ask me the less trouble we attract the better."

"Even if most of that trouble is our own fault?"

"Can we not talk politics and morals? Bad enough we have to debate what's for lunch everyday."

Copper huffed. This was going to be a long night...

* * *

Warehouse 2 was quiet, maybe too quiet even for the dead of night. Susan could care less. She had to hassle with just about everything to set up even so much as the coffee machine. City regulations be damned, U-COM was an X-COM division and it would play be X-COM rules. This was not a business, it was a military force. Citizens complaining about them having access to city surveillance? Tough, they can do their private business in their apartment rooms. If she had to have eyes on the streets, in parks, or even in buildings she will have it...if the Senate would let her do here job in the first place! Damn bastards being control freaks.

"Ma'am? We have three radiation spikes. They're low and scattered but they are growing," a voice stated.

She struggled briefly to remember who it was speaking. At the moment she could care less. She was tired and angry at just about everything holding her back.

"Locations?" she questioned.

"Uh...grid system is still offline but I can tell where they are due to general location," was the response.

Not great but better than nothing, "Very well. Proceed."

"One is in the center of the city near the slums, another is just north of us in the industrial sector, and the third is in the residential area. No specifics and surveillance can't get a lock on specifically where."

Could just be radiation slipping through the atmosphere in random places. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Keep an eye on them. If something so much as twitches I want to know about it exactly when and where," she ordered before heading to the coffee machine.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Stinky was a bit restless. He had no idea why, he just was. His caretaker was quietly asleep and unaware of his squirming. Maybe he just needed to eat something? He did not feel hungry but he did remember something about a "midnight snack" to help with sleeping. Getting up, he went to his food bowl and ate the few remains of his dinner. It was stale and the gravy from earlier was now a greasy mess but it still tasted good. But why was he still restless?

* * *

"What the-?! Radar contact! We have to unknowns coming out of the radiation spikes!" Susan heard as an alarm went off.

"Where?!" she demanded, not caring that she spat out the coffee.

"Contacts are split but converging for the slums. No visual or proper lock."

"Damn. Contact the Senate and Megapol about this. Scramble the valkyrie interceptor and if anyone complains tell them to stick it up their ass!"

* * *

This place was strange. No control, no organization, nothing the way it should be. Where is this? Why has the new growth made a link here? Perhaps these lesser beings could be of use. New food and subjects to help the Being.

This growth is weak and diseased. Even compared to the vile growths around them these were hideous. A disgusting but perfect place to start. Cleansing will wait until more is known. The Being demands resources, whether it be lesser beings or materials. But the Being is patient.

The lesser beings will help their masters discover what this place is. They will do as they were meant to.

Ah! The lesser beings are perfect! They are weak. The masters are pleased with this and so will the Being. It will take time however and there is still much to be done. The others will arrive later to continue observing. These lesser beings are indeed confusing.

* * *

Stinky jumped with fright. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong! But he had no idea what. His caretaker woke up and realized this as well. Or maybe it was just her reacting to his frantic cries. Either way, she was awake and knew that he was disturbed.

"Wha-what's wrong Stinky? It's midnight," she yawned.

There! Did she not see it? Something big just passed the window! It was not normal.

"Hmm? There's nothing out there. What's got you so worked up?"

* * *

"You sure? Alright, alright we're going. Oh hell, would you tell them we're going already?! Yes we'll report whatever is out of the ordinary," Copper overheard the conversation as his partner cut the transmission, "I swear if this is some little brat playing with fireworks I'm going to make them do the paperwork."

"Now that you mention it are you seeing this? Two unknowns ignoring skyway traffic laws and an unusual energy spike," Copper said as he looked at a radar monitor.

"Warm up the gun, I've got the laser. Remember, weapons tight stunner."

"Oh shut up. Let's see you deal with a crazy ass attacking you with a power sword when you're armed with a stun grapple."

The hovercar flew to the building that was reported to have the strange flyers. Copper was a bit concerned that it was the one he lived in but so far nothing out of the ordinary. He looked for the flyers and nearly shot the cannon due to his hands clenching in anxiety.

"What is that?" he asked.

"I have no idea," his partner replied.

A flying pyramid was hovering in the air. Beside it, two...aircraft were flying towards it. A pillbug and a muffin by the looks of it. They seemed innocent enough but were definitely...alien for a lack of proper words. Things got even more confusing once they touched the pyramid and disappeared inside.

"Megapol hovercar this is U-COM valkyrie interceptor Skygaurd calling. ETA to your current position is three minutes. Do you have a visual on the unknowns? Over," a voice called through the radio.

"Uh negative Skygaurd. Unknowns...just disappeared...um, over," the driver said.

"Please repeat. Did you just say they disappeared? Over."

"They just flew into the flying pyramid in front of us. A pillbug and a muffin. No idea what gives with those shapes but that's what just disappeared. Over."

"Copy that. We have strong inclination to believe they stopped in your current area before...'disappearing'. Perform sweep of the area. Over."

"Uh, I'm not sure if you have authority over us. Over."

"I do now. U-COM is taking over due to this likely being an alien incursion. You have your orders. Out."

"Man...I ain't takin' orders from some random hot shot," the driver gumbled.

"Then let me handle it. I live here," Copper said.

"You sure? Lieutenant will get pretty pissed at us."

"I'll handle the paperwork then. Just let me do the talking."

"Fine. But I'm holding you to the reports."

The hovercar set down near the apartment and allowed Copper get out. He then headed for the main complex, more concerned about getting any important information than checking his immediate complex. But there were a few concerns for his friends and as he went up the grav lift, he dialed a phone number.

* * *

Bolts was currently "asleep". Charging from a power outlet in the wall might sound awkward to an organic but it was sleep for an android. So even though he was "asleep" he was still technically "awake" as well. Even so, the random call in the middle of the night would always make someone confused.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Bolts, it's Copper," he heard.

"Copper? Aren't you on the graveyard shift?"

"I am. Listen, something freaky just happened outside. I have my partner scouting the other buildings but do me a favor and check the hallways."

"What? Copper if this is a joke-"

"Bolts, shut the hell up and listen. U-COM gave me an order and there is a valkyrie flying around. You should see it outside if you look to the south east and up."

Bolts did so and was surprised to see the mentioned aircraft. It had U-COM markings and he could easily see the lancer cannons on it were armed due to a subtle red glow.

"I see it. I'll check on Genes first," he said.

"Grab a hammer also. Then check in everyone else and let the landlord know. I'll call you back later but call me if you see anything. This is not a joke," Copper said before cutting the line.

"Yeah no kidding," Bolts said to the phone before grabbing a hammer and leaving.

* * *

Genes had no idea what had Stinky so worked up. The skunk was acting as if a lunatic walked in and started trashing the place. Was it the humming noise from...wait, humming noise? Looking she nearly fell over when she saw the silhouette of a dreaded vehicle, a valkyrie interceptor. Megapol had a small fleet of them but only used them for in the event of a full blown battle between the gangs. But this one was not a Megapol vehicle, it was U-COM.

"Genes?! You in there?!" she heard someone yelling through her door and knocking.

"Bolts?" she asked.

"Listen, Copper called and there is something going on. Stay inside and keep Stinky with you."

"Bolts what's going on? Why is there a U-COM valkyrie interceptor outside?!"

"Don't know but whatever it is stay safe. I'm checking on the others."

She was about to yell more but her voice froze. U-COM was only recruiting up until now. They stayed in their secret place, wherever that was in the city. U-COM was military, not law enforcement. The Senate never said about them being allowed to take action which meant they were either going rouge or something has happened.

"What is going on?" she asked Stinky fearfully to which the skunk only continued being afraid.

* * *

"Ma'am? That hover car has reported nothing out of the ordinary and the...gateways are silent. Oh, and the Senate is demanding answers," Susan heard.

"Forward it to my quarters and keep an eye on everything. Hack security feeds if you have to, privacy be damned," she ordered before leaving.

One of the UFOs had stopped for roughly five seconds at low altitude, enough time to dispatch troops if it was a small enough team. The Agency would have to wait, this was bigger than taking down a corrupt government. Even if she was born after the war she damn well knew what happened during it. The effects still scar Earth and its populace. If these aliens were hostile she will wage a war on them. If the Senate blocked her then she will bring war onto them as well. This was not a time to let petty politics and greed take hold unless the horrors of the initial days of the war were to repeat themselves.

Entering her quarters she opened communication and was greeted by a tired and angry senator. Good, maybe they will get a taste of their own medicine to learn that she can make their life a living hell just as much as they have for her.

"Commander you better explain yourself," the senator growled.

"Explain what?" she questioned.

"Don't think we haven't noticed your antics. The PGU might have control over X-COM but here you answer-"

"To U-COM only. Unless you have mistaken the agreement, senator, U-COM has the direct responsibility to take all necessary actions in the event of an alien incursion. Considering the fact there are three entryways past your precious defences and there is the possibility of a reconnaissance force hiding in your streets it would be most unwise to hold me back."

"And it would be most unwise to forget your place Commander. The Senate controls Mega-Primus and you do not have access for your illegal activities. Should you continue to antagonize us, you will find yourself having not only your assets confiscated but you yourself held accountable for conspiring treason against this city."

Treason? Treason?! That is what they would threaten her with?! This pompous asshole thinks she is concerned about betraying this city to do her job?!

"Let's make something clear right here, right now senator. I am not your pet military, I am not friend, and most of all I am not your obedient little dog who will answer to your beck and call. Hold me back and you will face whatever consequences that follow alone. Arrest me on fake charges and you will effectively declare war on X-COM and the PGU. You and your fellow senators wanted an X-COM division to help your city and now you have one. You have let the wolf into flock willingly and knowingly, now you will learn to deal with it."

"Is that a threat Commander?"

"No, it's a fact. End U-COM and all you'll have is the same things you had before I arrived."

The senator glared at her and she knew they knew she was right. Hell, they knew that she knew that they knew she was right. Maybe the Agency would continue with this as well considering she would have to fight the sons of bitches every step of the way.

"Just remember Commander that war is expensive. This is our city and if the price becomes too high you will fight alone and with nothing," the senator snarled before ending the call.

Threatening her pocket eh? While she could care less under normal circumstances it was one of the few things they could do to hurt her without attacking her. U-COM was not a military here, just another company in their eyes and it would have to operate that way in this battlefield. If that was the way they wanted to play fine, she was planning on fighting dirty anyway.

"This is the Commander," she said as she contacted the command center, "Double recruitment efforts and keep a watch on those gates around the clock. I don't care if someone has to eat, sleep, or take a shit. Someone is watching. And get me in contact with the Chief, we have work to do."

* * *

Copper was surprised to find the door smashed open. It was not open nor torn off the hinges but smashed to splinters. Anxious, he pulled out his lawpistol and quietly clicked the safety off. Whatever broke through had to have been strong. Even the slums could take a beating and this was one of the more sturdy doors. There also was no signs of weapon damage so unless an android ran through the door at the speed of a hovercar during rush hour there was nothing he could think of that could smash the door.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" he called quietly.

The lights were off but he could see the state of the room. Something rummaged around briefly by the looks of it. A few things knocked over, the fridge opened, and a shattered flower vase. So much for those tulips which were apparently crushed and ground into the carpet for some reason. But the bedroom door was partly closed.

"Hey flyboy you still out there?" he called to his partner.

"Yeah. I think I saw a few teenagers running through an alleyway but I lost them. You find something in there?" the other officer responded.

"Top floor, south side, center of the building. Keep an eye open and be ready for danger close support fire."

"You serious?"

"Mic and camera are recording so watch the feed. Oh, and weapons tight."

"Screw you."

He carefully opened the door. Inside was a ransacked room but the building manager was staring out to the city on the balcony. For some reason the manager was giving off an aura of a machine and not in terms of being an android.

"Hey, you alright?" he called.

The figure turned suddenly and glared at him. Something was behind those eyes that burned with malice. The face was impassive, body perfectly still, and those eyes...this was not normal behavior even for hospital patients. Mind control maybe? There was nothing else that could explain the machine like behavior.

"Megapol. I'm here to help. Can you explain what happened to your room? Are you alright?" he tried asking, not sure what to do.

The manager looked to the fire escape behind them and then the hovercar and valkyrie interceptor. Without a word, they walked to the edge.

"Hey watch that edge pal. Look, I'm not here to arrest you and we can talk this through. Just-wait! Wait wait wait!" Copper fumbled for the stun grapple.

It was too late. The manager effortlessly hopped over the safety railing and plummeted to the ground below. There was no scream or even facial expression. Just a simple hop over the side soundlessly. Copper could only watch in shock as the body disappeared before staring at the aircraft that undoubtedly saw the scene unfold.

"Son of a bitch," he half growled half groaned, "Just what the hell is going on?"

One thing was for sure, this was an eventful graveyard shift and there was going to be hell to pay for what just happened. He has never hated the graveyard shift more than ever.


	8. 3-07-2084, 1200 The Third Contact

"-reports that the 'gateways' are actually alien in nature have been confirmed by the Senate. The city is currently in a state of emergency and lockdown-"

"-Megapol has every officer and vehicle currently on the lookout for possible scouts from the alien craft-"

"-the Cult has been reported to take responsibility for the riots around the city as their followers rejoice in the emergence of a new alien species-"

"Turn it off," Susan ordered.

The monitor shut down and took the news feeds with it. The city would look torwards U-COM to handle this and no one would complain if the Agency did investigations in the background. All it would take would be a little twists here and there. A data packet taken to keep record of possible alien tampering, a bribe given to a worker who could be a whistle blower, a few monitors bugged to raise an alarm first sign of trouble, all serving a double purpose. That is if these new aliens were hostile but she doubted they were friendly. After getting a few hours of rest at the insistence of the rest of the base staff she was able to watch the footage with a better perspective. The building manager was undoubtedly mind controlled by a currently unknown means. There was no other explanation for the behavior while having normal body readings. Autopsy was impossible however considering the body (let alone the fragile human brain) was now scrubbed off the street by Cyberweb. Too bad that officer was a little too trusting about the situation but given the fact that the building was his home and Megapol usually handles thugs it is understandable.

"Any word about those 'teenagers' from last night?" she asked before sipping her third coffee.

"No ma'am. Every vehicle is also in desperate need of refueling," came the answer.

"Call them back then. If someone is smart they'll call either us or Megapol. Also, tell the labs to forward their findings the minute they figure out how those gates work."

* * *

Copper had a headache waking up. Considering it was the equivalent to morning grogginess he should be thankful since he got very little sleep after reporting in. Roughly four hours of restless sleep after going on a goosechase around the city, handling debriefings from both Megapol and U-COM (the latter giving him what he assumed an interrogation), filing reports, going home, having to explain to the landlord what happened, having his friends demand answers, and finally falling asleep after they barricaded themselves in his room with his personal lawpistol loaded and on the nightstand. All in all, he had the worst night rest of his life ever since moving to the city and realizing how much of a mess it is.

Opening his eyes he had to keep himself from jumping in fright. Near human intelligence or not he was not trusting that stripped animal on his chest to keep itself from spraying him in a nearjerk reaction. Now how was he supposed to get up? He had a skunk on him, a headache, a city to scour, and a need for the best coffee in the entire solar system to wake up.

"Come on. Wake up and get off please," he groaned as Stinky snuggled further into his sheets.

"Yeah I tried moving him but his tail twitched so..." Bolts said standing off to the side.

"Any news I need to worry about that I don't know about yet?"

"Other than the fact that the neighbors are just as scared as us? No."

"Well if you're going to be here do something useful and make coffee. Hell, make some for Genes also."

"She might be out for a while. She was so worked up she took cold medicine to fall asleep."

Well not the worst use of medicine for the wrong purpose. Nor was it the strangest...just what on earth got into those kids heads when they were trading hot dogs for aspirin? Putting that odd case aside, it did make sense that Genes would be the most shocked by this. Bolts at least had the programing to be a combat pilot even if he had no formal experience. But Genes was just a geneticist. Sure she could spend all day examining tumors, infections, and other unpleasant sights that come from genetically altered labs but she did not handle excitement very well. Besides, to see a valkyrie interceptor in Mega-Primus was the equivalent to seeing a comet in the middle ages. To see a valkyrie interceptor from U-COM might as well be the herald of armageddon. Hopefully no one has see an X-COM specific craft outside of a wargame or an exercise. PGU payroll or not X-COM is a fully fledged military that fought a three way war and won (even if they were mostly ignored until they became too strong to be topled). The only reason why their new branch was not as intimidating was because the Senate was holding a short leash on them.

"What kind do you want? I see three brands here," Bolts called from the kitchen.

"Don't care just pick one," he answered as he attempted to move Stinky only to realize the tail twitching upwards and immediately stopping.

And as luck, would have it his phone rang. It was on vibrate but it was noticeable and clearly Stinky noticed it. He held his breath as he feared a sudden dousing but all he got was a playfully nip on his noise before the infernal skunk jumped off the bed.

"Bloody hell it's too early for this," he muttered as he answered the phone and mentally preparing himself for another bout of calming peoples fears, "Hello?"

* * *

Somewhere in the darker sections of the city a meeting was being held. Osiron was the city mafia after all and they had plenty to gain as much as loose involving this new incident. They may not have the Senate as a full ally but they controlled the shadowy underworld of Mega-Primus and were very influential.

"We should hold back on supplying the other gangs. The petty war will be a distraction from this new threat," a high standing member known only as King said.

"It's not a threat at the moment. This is first contact which may be beneficial," a different member, Spade, stated.

"Don't make me laugh. We all know that it will go up in smoke if any of the COM's have a say in the matter," a young member said.

"You say something Ethan?" Spade snapped.

"Quiet! Let him speak," King ordered.

"Come on we can read between the lines. U-COM is at best a military police with a step up from Megapol due to city restrictions but they are dangerous. The aliens will be greeted by bullets to kill them and scalpels for those unfortunate enough to live for a surgery. Best we can do is stay out of the way," Ethan commented.

"A sound idea," King said, "Therefore you will handle them."

"Thank you si-wait what?"

"Sir you can't be serious!" Spade exclaimed.

Ethan was not expecting this. Frankly he wanted nothing to do with U-COM and by extension X-COM. They were dangerous enough even with the Senate breathing down their necks. With aliens now making a situation during the early primary elections for the city...

"It's simple really. Ethan here is a high enough official to fill in the place for poor Beretta but low enough not to know everything. He'll be our diplomat involving them in which we can earn some favors," King explained.

 _And give them someone to kill first should things go wrong_ , Ethan thought.

"Besides, the 'COM's' originated from special forces which play dirty and have the support of the PGU. They obviously know that maintaining a perfect world is impossible so who better to control the worst of humanity than us?"

"That's risky thinking. For all we know they'll kill us and puppet whatever remains!" Spade barked.

Ethan kept his mouth shut. Spade was the more aggressive of the two thinking everyone was a threat while King was too much of a businessman. He would have to deal with U-COM carefully and do so most likely in a manner that would annoy both of them. The only question was how to keep them out of the gang war which has already spiraled out of control?

* * *

Technician and computer analyst Johnson was well into his fifth cup of coffee. Most would drink double black to wake up, for him it was to calm down. After sitting hours staring at a monitor in anticipation he was certain he was going to blow a blood vessel or ten unless he calmed down. Taking a look at a nearby clock he realized it was only two in the afternoon, well after the afternoon rush hour and far too early for the evening traffic. The city was quiet, no signs of any issues, and even with the Commander having to play politics with the idiotic Senate nothing was likely to happen at this moment. Seeing no reason to keep his impatient bladder on hold any longer, he got up and was about to have someone else take over. That is until the phone rang.

"Hello? Who is this?" he demanded as he struggled to control himself.

"There's an alien here in the weapons warehouse! They just took out-no no! Stay away from me! Ack! Gargh..." the other line went silent save for muffled noises.

"Hello? Hello?! Is anyone there?! Shit. Someone trace that call and get the Commander!" Johnson yelled, entirely forgetting his previous train of thought.

"On it! Attention all personnel, we are at condition orange! Repeat, we are at condition orange! This is not a drill!" another technician spoke into a microphone as alarms blarred.

"No need to send a messenger," an authoritative voice spoke, "I'm already here. Status?"

"Ma'am! We have a hostile presence at a weapons-there, we have the address: Marsec weapons warehouse 1! Supposed to filled with advanced weapons and vehicle parts." Johnson answered.

"Send Skygaurd to be aerial recon. Phoenix 1 and 2 are to provide aerial escort for the wolfhound. Patch me in while they are en route and have Megapol lock down the building," Susan ordered.

"Yes Ma'am!"

* * *

The interior of the wolfhound was silent. The five operatives had minor military and/or security training in one form or another and knew how to operate. Their reasons for being here varied but had little importance. It was them against an unknown potential threat and with the five of them currently inside being half the military manpower of U-COM they had to make sure things went well.

"Alright listen up operatives," the voice of the Commander spoke through a speaker in the wolfhound, "Around five minutes ago we received a call about an 'alien' at one of Marsec's warehouses. We have no idea what will be in there or if there even is something there. You are to go in weapons tight and attempt peaceful contact. If hostilities arise you are to engage at your discretion. Keep collateral to a minimum, we need to be on Marsec's good side and I don't need to explain what happens when you shoot explosives. Stay sharp and good luck."

The team leader waited a few moments after the speaker went silent to speak: "You all heard her. As of the moment I am assigned as both squad and team lead. No bitchin' because I was given this and you weren't despite us being equal rank, clear? I don't know you well enough to call names and we're going to keep identities secret therefore we're going by numbers. I'm One or Lead, got it?"

"Understood!" the others spoke.

"Alright, equipment check and sound off!"

"Two ready!" an M 4000 user called.

"Three ready!" the sniper said.

"Four locked and loaded!" the auto cannon user said.

"Five all set!" the grenadier/stunner called.

"Good! Remember, weapons tight and keep collateral to a minimum. Capture if possible but don't endanger yourselves unnecessarily," One said before racking the bolt on their M 4000.

"Insertion in thirty seconds. Building is on lockdown and the section where the call came from is sealed," a technician from the base told the team as they remotely drove the wolfhound.

The APC drove into the warehouse garage and the team rushed out. One quickly located a terminal and accessed it to obtain information on where to go. It was a perfectly designed maze filled with explosives. To make matters worse, multiple levels with several points of entry/exit to other levels or other sections of the building should the lockdown fail. Nevertheless, they had a job to do and they would do it to the letter.

"Alright I have the location. We might be going in without them knowing but we are to act as if we're on the clock. Stay sharp, be on the lookout for any surprises, and watch you fire if things go south," One ordered before leading the squadron towards the location of the aliens.

* * *

The lesser being was looking for the...other lesser beings that might have hidden from the masters. The growth also changed quickly once their presence was discovered. The light dimmed, noises screeched before falling silent, and the air went stale. But this did not bother the lesser being as it was unconcerned about this. All it was concerned about was making sure the masters could control the other lesser beings to find out more about this place.

Wait what was that? Defenders? These "X-COM" lesser beings the masters were able to discover about? The lesser being was not equipped to fight them and the masters were in dangerous peril. No matter, either capture them or deny them from understanding the plans of the Being. More will come and should these lesser beings prove difficult they will die.

* * *

The team carefully moved forward. Four was on point while Three held back to watch the rear. The entire warehouse was dead silent which was unnerving in its own right, let alone having the fact there was potentially hostile killer aliens inside.

"I don't like this," Five muttered.

"Hell, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Two whispered angrily.

"Shut it, oscar mike," One ordered.

"Wait...I think I heard something," Three said causing the team to halt.

They all scanned the boxes. Now that they stopped walking and they were holding their breath, they were able to notice a faint patter-like noise. It sounded almost as if someone was using their hand as a spider to crawl on a wooden table but a bit quieter. Before any of them knew what happened next, a thump was heard from above and Two screamed as a screech was heard.

"Contact! Contact! What is that?!" Three yelled.

"Four fire on the enemy sniper! Take the catwalk down if you have to!" One yelled as he shot the...crab...thing off of Two.

The auto cannon barked loudly as 15 MM rounds tore into the steel catwalk above. Whatever was up there was big and fast. Three briefly saw what looked like a blue hand and shot. The laser rifle might have been weak when compared to standard X-COM weaponry but it was still a laser. Nothing in existence was going to dodge a projectile that moved at the speed of light.

"I think I-Gah!" Three gurgled as another of the things grabbed onto them.

"Get off you little bastard!" One snarled before it fell over unharmed.

Three straightened unexpectedly and took aim at One who hesitated at what just happened. Without warning Three pulled the trigger on the rifle and One instantly felt the effects. It felt like a softened punch but it hurt nevertheless. There was another punch, and another, and another. Five caught on and tackled Three before delivering a pistol wipe with their backup lawpistol.

"Lead, you alright?!" Two asked.

"Hell no! Little shit just mind controlled one of us!" One yelled in pain and anger.

The distraction resulted another thumping sound and a brown object sent flying towards the group. The shooter was at the end of the row of boxes and it was probably the same as the thing above. If any of them were to stop and comment the description would have been "big, blue, and ugly" but at the moment they were more concerned about the object.

"Grenade!" Four screamed before jumping to prone and firing at the thing with their lawpistol.

One and Two also went prone while firing at the alien shooter. Like its companion up top it was fast for being roughly seven feet in height and built like a bulldozer but it was not fast enough to dodge the combined firepower of two M 4000 machine guns in the hands of skilled shooters. Even so, it was able to get away and the "grenade" hatched into another one of the things.

"Enemy 'nades are eggs!" Five called.

"Shoot to kill! Repeat, shoot to kill! We have no idea what else they can do!" One ordered.

* * *

"We have confirmed reports that hostilities have broken out. Gunshots can clearly be heard from the inside of the building and Marsec has sent a security force of their own-" Copper ignored the rest as he immediately went for his closet.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?" Bolts asked.

"Getting back to the station," Copper answered.

"Like hell you are. You had enough of a night and right at the moment you're the only person keeping the entire complex sane."

"I doubt that."

"Damn it Copper! I'm serious. Everyone else here is either an office worker or grassroots lobbyist. You said you have the day off from keeping the city intact and right now we need you to be here."

Copper hesitated as he reached for his service belt on his nightstand. It held his badge and next to it was his lawpistol, both symbols of order and security. The entire city was gripped in the jaws of their opposites just as much as the complex was. Friends and neighbors who all shared a similar view on just how messed up this city is but learning how to call it home. Megapol would care less about them as they were the ones living in the slums which was immediately viewed as a breeding ground for criminals.

"Alright fine. Tell everyone there's going to be a meeting outside," he replied as he grabbed the belt and holstered the gun.

* * *

Susan was quietly contemplating the scenario as it unfolded. At the moment, the operatives were cut off from any and all communication and she had no clue what was going on inside of that warehouse. The news was trying to be overdramatic but sadly it was the only "reliable" source of intel she had at the moment and even then she could not pay attention to it since Marsec was preparing to cut supplies with them.

"Look one of the operatives inside was a former Marsec employee. I'm sure they understand the...sensitivity of your material," Susan argued diplomatically.

"This is a Marsec concern which does not involve the use of U-COM," was her response.

"So you've said. Your forces are late to the party and we were called in to handle it. Under article six, section eighteen, clause three by city law we have the right to commit forced entry into any property if we have suspicions of hostile alien activity whether they be confirmed or not."

"We can still cut our supply, Commander."

"Do I have to read every regulation? You know damn well what we will do if you cut our supply. Let me do my job and you keep me supplied. Interfere and I promise it'll be far worse than some structural damage and a few munitions lost."

The Marsec line went dead. Susan knew they got the message loud and clear. As silly as the cutthroat business policy of Mega-Primus was she was starting to find it as a useful means of gunboat diplomacy.

"Ma'am! We've gained access to the buildings security but are unable to contact the operatives!" Johnson called.

"Show me," Susan ordered.

"Bringing up security footage."

What the feed showed was not exactly worrying, but not reassuring either. Four operatives were active while the fifth was down. The operatives were busy chasing something...just what is that thing? A blue muton that did overtime at the gym?

"That is one ugly bastard," someone muttered.

"Ugly or not I want to know how they tick. Too bad we couldn't do this peacefully or with live subjects. Tell the biochem lab to expect corpses while engineering and physics get cracking on their toys," Susan stated.

* * *

One quickly ran around the set of boxes that one of the things was hiding behind So far two of them were dead and all that was left was this one. Thankfully no more crab things. Not bothering to give the alien a chance, One sprayed its legs with whatever remained in the M 4000 before kicking it in the head.

"Hostile down! We have a live one here!" One yelled.

"I think that's all of them then," Five called.

"How do you know?" Four asked.

"Call it a gut feeling."

"Can it. Two, get outside and call in the clean up crew. Tell 'em to keep their heads down and weapons hot for potential-" One was cut off by a bullet pinging off their armor.

"Three! Stand down!" Two yelled.

Three did not stand down. In fact, they stood there almost as if they were a statue. The others slowly walked towards the operative. Without warning, Three ripped their helmet off and promptly shot their head.

"Bloody hell!" Four cried out in shock.

"Damn it! Just what the hell did that bastard do to Three's head?!" One exclaimed.

"Lead, orders?!" Two asked.

"Get the Commander on the horn and tell her we'll debrief back at base. Three was KIA by the enemy. There are no crabs, no egg launchers, and no confirmations about big blue men," One said after a moment's hesitation, "Five, give this bastard some cold medicine."

The others shifted uneasily but followed through with the orders. Two left while Five pulled out a stun grenade and threw it to the live alien on the floor. Four stood guard but looked at One. One knew they were nervous about what just happened. It always was difficult to see someone commit suicide. But the scary thing was that it was too sudden and too mechanical for anyone to stop it. One knew there had to be a connection to the footage from last night to what happened here. But somehow...everything that happened here seems to be misleading for some reason.


	9. 2-07-2084, 1600 The New Problems

Copper was standing on a pile of junk in the parking lot outside of the complex. Around and above him were the other residents who all gathered for the meeting he called. They easily saw through the denials of U-COM to give them peace. The rich might buy the false words and ignore the flying pyramids in the sky but people here knew crap when they saw it. Looking towards his apartment he could see Bolts, Genes, and Stinky staring down at him.

 _Showtime_ , "Can everyone hear me? Can you hear me?" he called.

"We can hear ya!" someone from above called with others confirming the same.

"Right then... Alright we all know things are going to be hectic and that the rest of the city would care less about us. But we're better than those self righteous assholes and we'll get through this."

"How? The whole city is going to become a war zone by our luck!" someone called following others agreeing.

"And we've been living through a war for the past few months. We pull the same logic from before. Guard shifts, staying in pairs, and being ready to defend ourselves." Copper reasoned.

"That was against gangs."

"Gangs with access to military plasma weapons and assault vehicles. Are we going to let a few flying pyramids scare us?!"

Mummers of agreement about the gang war were heard. It was hard to state that the situations were really any different: people shooting at people (or aliens in this case) with high tier weapons that could easily destroy a good chunk of the city. All the people had to do was duck and cover when the shooting starts. Hopefully the buildings are spared though...

"What about those things getting inside?" someone asked.

"Go into lock down and/or form a militia to send them packing. Don't worry I won't be arresting anyone for using a lawpistol for self defence," Copper answered which earned a few light laughs from the crowd.

"He sure does know how to defuse situations," Bolts said as he held Stinky, petting the skunk who watched the rally with interest.

"Well he is a 'copper' afterall," Genes said.

"You just did not make that joke."

"What are you going to do? Become the terminator on me?"

"How much did you take to fall asleep and how much did you drink to wake up?"

* * *

Susan groaned and was trying to straighten a few loose hairs. Combat footage was reviewed more times than she could count and she still had no idea what to make of these new invaders. The mind control was the most infuriating part. She knows how it works, both Martian and Aquatic. Hell, she went through five training sessions of both being used on her to understand them! Hitting someone in the head with enough force to disorient them usually snaps them out, let alone knocking them unconscious. If they had Marco's brain (Three during the investigation) they could have figured out what went wrong. No such luck here since his brain is effectively destroyed. The only thing that could be be understood was that it involved the "crab things" and the corpses of those were too badly damaged for any use.

"Ma'am?" someone spoke, presenting a much needed cup of tea.

"Thank you," she said before taking the cup and sipping it.

This entire day has been a roller coaster. Too much coffee, not enough sleep, the bureaucratic crap refusing to be ignored, and a confusing adversary all was adding up. At least this nightmare was calm compared to the absolute disaster of the first time humanity encountered aliens. They just needed to figure out a way deal with the chaos and make it organized and that come through observation, studying technology and biology, and-

"Contact! We have contacts coming out of the gates!" Johnson yelled.

 _Well at least I know who to remember is in control here_ , "What are they and where are they going?" Susan demanded.

"All from different entries ma'am! No distinguished flight patterns detected!" someone else answered.

"Scramble air assets and tell Megapol to do the same. Sound the air raid alarm if something-"

"Weapons fire! Gap Highway is destroyed!"

"Full assault! All craft have weapons free and will continue to do so until we kill every last one of these bastards!"

"Attention all personnel, we are at condition red! Repeat, we are at condition red! This is not a drill!"

* * *

The entire city stopped dead in its tracks the second they saw the pyramid shaped gates spew out odd craft. But it immediately erupted into chaos when an infamous sound was heard: the infamous air raid alarm. Like WWII London, the erie wail blared out to signal civilians to duck and cover. Unlike WWII London, there was very no warning and the attackers were not flying stukas. Later viewings of the security footage would show that an unlucky air taxi nearly collided with one of the craft which destroyed it and the massive bridge below. Things got worse when a missile hit one of the alien craft.

"Phoenix 1 to command, target hit," a U-COM pilot reported.

"We saw it. Good hit," was the response.

"The pillbug is breaking off for us, possible escort! Pillbug is the-receiving fire! Repeat, receiving fire!"

"The hell are they shooting at us?! Slow ass moving lasers?!"

"Cut the chatter 2! 1 stay above those buildings and watch your fire! We've got civilian assets below us!"

"Understood Skyguard!"

"Hovercar 25 to U-COM forces, we are enroute to your position with backup, over!"

"Negative 25, go after the other craft! We'll handle the escorts, over!"

"Copy that, over and out!"

A full blown air battle erupted within seconds. U-COM and Megapol vehicles fought against the alien craft which fired wildly with almost no regards for accuracy. Anyone foolish enough to stare out a window was greeted with a spectacular show and the high chance of stray weapons fire blowing them up.

"Phoenix 2 what the bloody hell are you doing?! You just blew up an apartment!" command yelled.

"Missiles can't get a lock on the bastard! Thermal is impossible and I'm barely getting a radar reading!" the pilot responded.

"Son of a-avoid angled attacks and engage head on! Aim manually if you have to!"

* * *

"Someone tell me what's going on out there!" Susan ordered.

"A SNAFU ma'am! Our craft are superior in speed, firepower, and durability but these things are difficult to get a lock on! Fly boys have to aim their weapons as if it's World War II!" Johnson replied.

"Damn it. What kind of lock do our craft use?!"

"Radar and infrared, neither are working due to the possible composite of-"

"Enemies are falling back! Repeat, enemies are falling back! 25, what happened to the other craft, over?!" a pilots voice interrupted.

"One had a tube over a building for a few seconds and left! The other has been outright destroyed, over!" the pilot of the Megapol hovercar replied.

"Hovecar 25, this is U-COM command, you are to disable fleeing target. We need one of these assholes intact or we'll be fighting blind once if they bring heavier stuff," Susan snarled slightly to emphasize the order.

"No promis-Shit! I just lost my engine stabilizers! Officers down! Office-!" both the screaming voice and display disappeared while the U-COM pilots attempted communication through the channels.

"Car's gone ma'am. Crashed right into a building and hostile contact has disappeared...escort is down while the transport is gone..." someone said as the command room grew quiet.

"...Send in a salvage team for the downed escort and an assault squad for the building. Get me both the Senate and Chief and make sure it's secure. I want everyone figuring out what went wrong and how we fix it," Susan said calmly but with an air of sadness and anger.

"Ahem ma'am, I know bad timing but the biochemists managed to-" someone spoke out.

"Send it to my quarters and make sure they know when it's a bad time to interrupt."

* * *

The meeting ended the moment the air raid siren went off. Fortunately, everyone had the common sense to not panic and stay closer to the interior of the building despite the air battle happening nowhere near them. The news of a Megapol hover car hit hard everyone hard though. Despite half the slums loathing the vehicles, to hear that a vehicle being the equivalent of a flying light assault tank getting shot down in one hit was disconcerting.

That and the fact another group of aliens have supposedly managed to sneak their way into the city. The news was having a field day with all of this.

"I'm going to have a hemorrhage at the rate this is going," Copper muttered as he sat in a different apartment with an icepack on his head to deal with the stress induced headache he was dealing with.

"I think you've had enough of everything for a while," Bolts spoke in a different room.

"Well how else am I supposed to get through with this?" Genes exclaimed.

"You have a pet skunk that's as stressed as you are."

Said skunk was on the floor exhausted. Copper was not the biggest enthusiast about Stinky but he did admit the few times he visited Genes after a stressful day the skunk did act as a means of therapy.

 _Time to repay the favor_ , he thought as he carefully made his approach noticeable but unthreatening before picking up Stinky and start petting.

"Look...try to lie down for a while and get some actual rest. We'll get through this," Bolts said.

"Try a splash of cold water to your face," Copper suggested, surprising both of them, "Helps me every day after work."

Neither said a word and next thing anyone knew they all shared a collective sigh (Stinky included but that might have been a yawn). The day has been hard and much more stressful than any skirmish from the gang war previously. To make things more nerve wrecking was the fact that the exchange a few minutes ago seemed to be more or a reconnaissance mission than anything else. It did not take a military genius to connect the dots: a small group with (assuming the news was actually telling the truth as usual) thin armor entering unknown territory had to be the scouting party.

"Everyone does realize I have to leave tomorrow," Copper said.

"I think everyone has to leave for work knowing how this city works," Bolts agreed.

"There is no way in hell I'm dealing with those potatoes. Someone else can handle them," Genes groaned.

"What's this about potatoes?" the apartment owner questioned, having stepped into the room carrying a tray with mugs of tea.

"Nothing, just us bitching about work," Copper said as he handed Stinky over to Genes, "Thanks for doing this."

"Eh we look out for each other. We're all in the same boat aren't we?"

Copper could only nod in agreement until his phone rang. Answering it, his expression quickly changed from weary to frustration. The others could only guess as to what the conversation was since he barely said a word but it was clearly work related.

"Understood, I'll be there in the morning," he finished as he hung up, "Why am I a Megapol officer again?"

* * *

The mood inside the U-COM wolfhound was grim. The other half of the organizations fighting force was enroute to what many consider a death trap when going against alien incursions: an apartment building. Tight corridors, civilians getting in the way, having to scour each and every room for a possible threat, and the fact that a Megapol hovercar was shot down on top of the mission was not helping.

"Right then, we all know what's going to happen here. The Commander has given me control over this investigation and brief you while she has to deal with the bullshit called city politics," the team leader said which earned a few uneasy chuckles from the others.

"Any word about the craft?" one of the others asked.

"Either being picked up now or is already heading back to base via the valkyrie. As for us we are to go in with weapons tight due to civilians but are allowed to use stuns and smokes liberally."

"That seems like a bad idea with civilians," a different voice muttered.

"You rather use AP grenades then be my guest having to explain why blowing up little Timmy seemed like a good idea. That aside, you have probably noticed at this point we are going in with light weapons to compensate for our environment. That does not mean you empty the mag of an M 4000 blindly so remember to watch your fire!"

The others simply stared at the aforementioned weapons and shrugged. The weapons were known to have a mixed reputation and they did not need to get the same.

"Alright, arm up and roll call. Due to command wanting to diversify and that we're unofficially team two I'm either 2-1 or Boss. Sound off!" the leader said.

"2-2 set!" the pointman called.

"2-3 ready!" the grenadier said.

"2-4 all set!" the stunner called.

"2-5 all good!" the medic said.

"Glad to hear it! Now, who's ready to kick some ass?" Boss asked.

"We're in! Move it!" the wolfhound driver called.

The team rushed out and immediately headed for the stairs. Despite no calls coming from the building, they had a good idea that something was in here due to the craft hovering above. The main problem with this was that they would have to search each floor unless someone said where the aliens went.

* * *

Susan finally finished talking with the Senate (who were more interested in their petty politics as usual) and the Chief (who apparently was rather indifferent to the loss of the hovercar and its officers) and was angry. It was a rather pointless anger but she was angry regardless. Taking a deep breath, she began to look at the reports that were filled into the UFOpedia.

 _Strong, built for combat, has a small brain...basically a muton_ , she thought as she examined the simple x-rays and light observations of the sedated alien.

"Ma'am, the team is currently searching the building and the enemy craft is here. Maintenance crews are complaining it smells like 'burnt rotten meat' and have asked it to be taken out of the hanger," one of the technicians called.

"Tell them to find somewhere to stuff it until the physics lab figures out the weapon from earlier and try to get in touch with the team. I'm heading up," she replied.

On the way she saw someone else heading in the same direction. At first she wondered why they would but then she remembered the idiotic regulations that were place, if anyone wanted to observe what was going on they had to be in the command room. During the latter half of the war soldiers were able to watch their comrades out in the field and were even encouraged to do so for a multitude of reasons. But instead of having the relative comfort of their barracks they had to go to the command room do so.

"-better not be anymore of those crab shits," the person muttered, voice revealing that they were One from the earlier mission.

"Knowing our luck private those 'crab shits' could very well be sectoids," Susan announced.

"Commander!" the man immediately came to attention with a grimace of pain.

"Private Vance," she replied with a neutral tone, "If I remember you are still logged for medical care."

"It's nothing ma'am. Just some light burns."

"Bullshit. Let me guess, can't stay in a bed too long and need to know what is happening?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well considering you're the most knowledgeable we have I'll let it slide for now. But once the team is finished you get your ass back into the medbay and stay there until you're cleared for duty. Understood?"

Vance was actually surprised by this. As a former security guard he was used to strict rules and regulations and considering the requirements to even apply for (let alone get accepted into) U-COM he expected the same. Of course, there was the few odd rumors that X-COM was in some ways less rigid as far as militaries go. Supposedly during the war, the only thing that kept either front going was the minor breakdown of discipline. Even though it was never confirmed, it was never denied either.

"Yes ma'am," he said after a brief hesitation.

"Well come on then...and drop the uptight attitude. X-COM is known to be somewhat unorthodox for a reason as well as U-COM by extension," Susan said before heading for the command room.

"It is ma'am?"

"Unofficially of course."

Susan smiled to herself as she heard a slight stumble behind her. Always was amusing to spill that can of beans to the uptight recruits...

* * *

"Boss, we've been harassing people left, right, and center for the past three floors. We sure we got the right complex address or at least the right building?" 2-5 asked.

"Command said this was the building but other than that we know nothing," Boss begrudgingly admitted as the team climbed yet set of stairs.

"Who owns this place again?" 2-2 muttered.

"Don't know, don't care," 2-4 said as they opened the door on the next floor.

"Quiet! Did you hear that?" Boss said.

The others stopped moving and listened. It was faint but they heard...something. A squishing noise that sounded somewhat like a thick liquid being whisked around or splattered against a wall. Then there was the heavy footsteps...followed by fast ones indicating something was running. The squad crouched and aimed down the hallway, fingers not on the trigger yet but ready with safeties off.

"Ack! Don't shoot! I'm human!" a terrified woman screamed once she saw the squad.

"Anything on this floor?" Boss questioned despite knowing the answer.

"There's a giant worm with teeth in my bathroom an-and these things that tried to chase me," she cried frantically.

"Is there anyone else on the floor?"

"Contact! Get down!" 2-3 yelled as something rounded the corner.

A pink humanoid body was right behind the woman (who screamed hysticalicaly before ducking) and was about to do something before bullets tore it apart. No one got a good look at it but they knew it was not human.

"Ma'am get out of here! 2 and 4 take point! 3 and 5 on me! Watch for civilians!" Boss yelled as the squad sprung into action.

The sounds of gunfire tore throughout the building. Citizens immediately fled as the rattle of M 4000 machine guns roared against unearthly shrieks and screams. Megapol hovercars circled the building to look for possible threats while officers helped the terrified civilians from getting out of control. Inside, the U-COM squad continued thier search.

"Nozzle heads spit acid! Target them first!" 2-4 yelled.

"What about those crabs?!" 2-5 asked, ducking under a green glob.

"Just shoot everything!" Boss yelled, pulling out their lawpistol in response to running out of ammunition in their current magazine.

"What is that thing?!" 2-2 exclaimed.

The "thing" turned out to be a large and hungry set of jaws that came wiggling straight for them. 2-2 housed it with 7MM rounds which caused it to stop and shriek in agony. Whatever it was, it was ugly and hopefully dead or close enough to-

"The hell?!" 2-2 screamed as the body violently shook with four wiggling forms burst out.

"Move to your left!" 2-4 shouted as they took aim at the new combatants.

"2, 4, mind explaining what the bloody hell is going on and why I hear snakes?" Boss asked, putting down the only hulking blue alien they could find.

"Busy!" both yelled in response.

"Damn it... Let's go!" Boss told 2-3 and 2-5.

* * *

Susan was quite fed up with Mega Primus and its stupidity. Apparently the apartment complex was one of the luxury estates that had a security system with borderline military grade encryption which would alert Megapol and freeze itself if someone did not enter a secure code with the inclusion of a retinal scan. Bluntly put, the squadron was cut off from command with the higher ups blind as to what was happening...again. To make it worse, some genius at Megapol decided having cameras on officers (and the armor they sold which was slated for military operations) was unnecessary. After action reports were not the best way to get a fix on what can an enemy can do.

"Anyone have any ideas?" she groaned.

"None. Locked up tighter than an old nuclear submarine. I don't even want to know why they would need something this advanced," a technician answered.

"Can't we ask Megapol to help?" Vance suggested.

"Only people who have the clearance to circumnavigate the security would be the Senate and they are a lot more interested in the elections than the fact a war is being waged on their front lawn," someone else muttered.

Johnson meanwhile was busy fighting with the city traffic camera system. Strangely enough, it was the least protected software system in the entire city and yet could cover the entire city. While it would be relegated to outside of the buildings, it would be a lot better than having to rely on suborbital satellites, radar pings, and the largely useless hyper-wave technology reverse engineered from the Martians.

 _Come on just work already_ , he thought to himself as the system took far longer than it should have to comply.

"Tell engineering to jury rig helmet cameras that have a direct feed to us. We need to know what is going on," Susan ordered as she was about to leave.

"Ma'am, I think I just solved part of our surveillance problem," Johnson called as he pulled up camera feeds on the building.

"Well at least that's one problem solved. Not perfect but it can work. Good job."

"2-1 to command," a voice interjected.

"Glad to hear you 2-1. Is the site secure?" Susan questioned.

"For the most part. Floor 5 in complex C is going to need more than house keeping to clean it up but the folks who live here are smart enough not to bitch at us or go poking around. People from higher floors claim nothing is above them."

"We'll be sending Skygaurd with the clean up crew. Any casualties?"

"2-2 needs minor surgery on their legs while 2-4 is going to need an examination...some kind of acid leaked through the armor. Other than that, new paint and one hell of a meal would be nice."

"Understood. Good work out there," Susan said before closing the line.

The room let out a collective sigh of relief. With the amount of chaos in one day, everyone needed to hear some form of good news. This fight has been an uphill battle in many ways.

"Alright people," Susan barked, "We still have those gates open. I want standardized shifts in place to keep an eye on everything. Engineering is to commence with fixing any problems with our equipment until we get new technology to work with. Keep us tapped into those traffic cams and continue observing those gates. We've got jobs to do people!"

"Yes ma'am!" the room replied with a tired, but encouraged, shout.


	10. 3-08-2084, 0845 The Spy Games

Vance was unsure why the commander has specifically requested him to her quarters. The night had been blissfully quiet short of the gates shifting to entirely new locations at exactly midnight (resulting in a minor false alarm and quite a few sharp words about the random jump). From mild rumors, there was a promotion in order for the second team due to their actions. While he felt mildly annoyed that he and what remained of his team were given more of a condolence and a pat on the back, he was far from petty and was more interested in defending the city.

"So you're probably wondering why I've called you here," the commander stated.

"Yes ma'am," he replied.

"Guess I can't exactly break that soldier model attitude over night but in this case it will be useful. Tell me as a citizen of Mega-Primus, what do you think of the city as a whole?"

 _What?_ , "In a word? Complicated."

"And in more than 'a word'?"

"Very complicated."

"Uh-huh. I want details, not random trivia that I can get from an average citizen."

"Permission to speak freely then?"

That got a smile out of her. Was X-COM really this unprofessional while at the same time being professional? Vance was more than certain that the commander was pulling his leg yesterday.

"If it means giving me a proper answer, then go ahead," she replied.

 _She has to be testing me or something_ , "Honestly, this place is just as much of a crapper as your reactions make it to be ma'am. The gang violence is high, the Senate is half controlled by Osiron, and the higher ups in Megapol are just as bad as them both. A third of the population is discriminated for a variety of reasons and the other two thirds act more like spoiled five year old children. To top all of it off, the only part of the city that I can honestly believe that is not corrupted beyond the point of redemption is Synthmesh simply because they are gardeners and construction workers," Vance more or less ranted as he gave his very personalized view of the city.

The smile dropped and the more familiar stony expression returned, "So I believe this means you're less than thrilled about this place."

"Not very ma'am."

"Before we continue, I must warn you that if this conversation leaves this room or is spread to anyone who has not received similar clearance you will be executed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal ma'am."

"Last chance Vance. Back away now and the worst you'll have to worry about is whatever comes out of those gates. Continue on and there's no turning back."

Just what the hell is going on? There was the hidden message about U-COM being a means bringing Mega-Primus into the fold of the PGU but it was hamstrung severely by the Senate. Where was this leading to? Assassination? Sabotage? Blackmail?

"U-COM is more than just an alien defense force...isn't it," Vance stated rather than questioned.

"Read between the lines and you'll find hidden messages everywhere," the commander said, "I would like to say this is meant to be under wraps...but there was a reason why we are relatively short on man power. The offer still stands, accept and enter the rabbit hole or leave and stay blind."

"If it means doing what's best for the city I'm in."

"Right... U-COM is not just an urban combat unit, just as much as X-COM is not just a PMC. Officially we stand on our own and have the goodwill of the PGU. Unofficially, we are their military and intelligence service. Before you jump to conclusions, there is non of that fantasy bullshit about us being the power behind the throne. We simply are the ones who do the dirty work that requires efficiency. Just enough red tape to keep it regulated but nearly limitless power otherwise. X-COM was meant to do the impossible and it showed through its trial by fire. U-COM is an extension of that same goal only this time it requires finesse and not total domination.

"I'm not sure how much anyone really knows this outside of the PGU and my bosses but we are hitting roadblocks left and right in just about everything. Environmental clean up has been halted, citizens spread about in shanty towns with just enough bare necessities to get by, and the fact those who have the power to actually do a damn are all corrupt bastards sitting in this city. Bluntly put, humanity needs Mega-Primus to be what it was meant to be. Not a corporate playground, not an impenetrable fortress for the elite, but a salvation for humanity. This is our job, find hard evidence to nail these bastards and validate the means of bringing this city under the control of the PGU. Thanks to our new friends coming out of those gates, we have that opportunity. It doesn't matter what we do, so long as we do it. We will be fighting multiple wars on multiple fronts with the odds against us. If we loose any of them...well we know what the Laser Squad has been up to once people get fed up with the corruption."

The room felt very cold once she had finished. Vance was quite certain that he probably should have stayed ignorant and kept to his speculations on just what U-COM was really planning on doing. Sure, he hated a good part of the city but he found other reasons to love it as well. This...this seemed almost as if it would destroy that image.

"I'm not surprised that this is a shock. If it makes you feel better, the majority of U-COM barely knows what our true purpose is. As far as they know, we are nothing more than the heroes who are the sword and shield of humanity, not its secret spy organization. You along with them were picked because you had more loyalty to humanity than the propaganda of the city. Still, you can still walk away from this Vance. Agree to the fact that I just gave you a pep talk or accept this and become a spy as well as a soldier," the commander gave the offer in the form of a tired sigh.

"Is...is it really that bad?" Vance asked.

"The fact we have to resort to underhand tactics in one of the worst ways possible? Or is it the fact that we're facing the possible re-collapse of human civilization? To answer both yes and in some cases it's worse."

"If I do this...what will be the collateral?"

"If it goes well, several corrupt individuals rotting somewhere that doesn't exist. If it goes very well, miners on Mars might actually have human rights within days and the need of guerrilla warfare will come to an end. If this goes badly...we don't really know. What will determine this is what we can dig up and how fast we can get it to the PGU before things boil over."

So...either save the city from itself (and possibly Mars but that story was murky at best thanks to city propaganda) or stay as a common soldier. Well, no good deed goes unpunished but doing nothing seemed like the greater of the two evils. Hopefully, things will go well and collateral will simply be "corrupt individuals rotting somewhere that doesn't exist."

"I'll do it. When do I start?" Vance asked.

"Now. You know this city better than I do. Connections, informants, whistle blowers, I want anyone and everyone we can trust to get us hard evidence and then a means of getting it. Don't worry about getting it to the PGU or X-COM, just make sure it reaches me. Clear?" the commander ordered.

"Crystal ma'am."

"Good. Carry on and take my advice to heart."

Vance left the quarters and immediately headed towards the barracks. He already had a few contacts he could reach out to. Granted, they would need to be evaluated first with more than just a fine comb. Money talks in the streets of Mega-Primus and loyalty was rare, making many potential candidates risky. Still, he knew he had to start somewhere.

And then he realized a minor detail that he and the commander forgot to go over: just how was he supposed to contact anyone when the base was monitored and regulated around the clock?

* * *

Ethan was not thrilled about what he was about to do. His mind absently went to old or plain bad comedies where someone was in his position: staring blankly at a phone. The archaic thing was ancient but far more reliable than handheld. No one really thought about a wired phone, making it damn near impossible to trace which was going to be helpful when he made the call. He wanted nothing to do with U-COM. Chances are they wanted nothing to do with him as well. But he knew Osiron was not the type that enjoys rouge elements and outliers to be involved with the city.

 _Here goes nothing_ , he thought to himself once he finally mustered the resolve to pick up the receiver and dial the number.

Faint ringing was heard. It was strange to wait for someone like this. Most phones today would not bother letting someone know that the other end was ringing. Then again, Mega-Primus had several oddities within its buildings that would blend the old world with the new. Some were more obvious than others, some were obscure. Either way, they all were unique.

"Who is this and how did you get this number?" a voice demanded.

"Is that how you greet everyone who gives you a call?" Ethan asked smugly.

"I will not ask again. This is a secure line and unless you come clean we will find you and deal with you. Five seconds, your choice."

"Now hold your horses. Let's say I have a proposition for you...or more specifically your commander. As for how I got this number that is something for me and me alone to know."

"Very funny smart ass. If this is a prank call you will wish you backed off... Transferring you to the commander."

That was a mild surprise. Not enough to be a shock but more of an unexpected change. The commander was already well known for bending the majority of the rules in the city in ways that got results which could mean bad news for Ethan and Osiron as a whole. The politics in the city were borderline cutthroat as is, U-COM was not afraid to take it to the next level.

"I'm going to assume that you are either a senator with a few more brain cells to think ahead of power and politics or that you're possibly someone who who has similar resources. I don't care. You wanted to talk to me and now you have my attention. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can play me because I won't take that kindly," a woman on the other end said coldly.

"Never would have thought to do so. Before we continue, may I ask for a name? I can understand if it's fake but I work better with at least having an idea of who I'm talking to," Ethan said, steadily calming his nerves.

"Only if you share the courtesy and tell me what the bloody hell this is about."

"Fair enough and I was getting there. I'm 'Ben' if that suffices."

"Mary. Start talking Ben."

"I assume you have gotten yourself well acquainted with city politics. Let's say I can offer...services to avoid the red tape."

"Bullshit."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Give me a challenge."

"Close the gates."

"A reasonable challenge."

"A steady supply of information on everything. I have a fairly good idea that you are trying to get U-COM into one of the gangs so let me make this clear, give me information on what goes on in the darker sections of the city and I won't send an assault squadron loaded with the proper equipment to flush you rats out."

Threatening Osiron? Now that was dangerous. But he could practically feel the iron in her voice. "Mary" was not a Megapol officer on a raid and she was unapologetically blunt about the fact that she would get a job done with results. Ethan might be part of one of the most successful crime syndicates in the history of humanity, but he was in a cold sweat right now. The writing was on the wall and Mega-Primus was a perfect breeding ground to let the dangerous become unstoppable. Therefore, mess with U-COM and there will be more than just hell to pay.

"How about a freebie to start and we can discuss payment later?" he offered, trying to compose himself.

"Your payment will be in the form of me ordering my men to more practical concerns that require my attention. If you do not like that I can gladly tell them to give you a payment from smoking barrels. Accept either of these or piss off before my patience runs out," she said coldly.

"Hard bargain. Very well, I accept your non-involvement as a form of payment. As for my information, you will want to pay close attention to the Cult."

"What about them? I'm familiar with their covert operations."

"You will find that we both have a common interest in getting rid of them. They are almost untouchable under normal conditions but there are shadow wars in Mega-Primus. Some can escalate into complete skirmishes."

"So I can expect an open war with them then."

"Quite possibly. Regardless on them doing anything, I would heavily suggest you keep an eye on them. They have a lot more power here and are far more open in their acts than anywhere else."

Ethan hung up after that. He immediately went to his office, told the closest underling to get him an ice pack and a drink, and collapsed into his chair. He was used to dealing with the senators and the police. He has climbed the Osiron food chain through cunning and ruthlessness. Now his position of power was a curse. He could not go down a rung on the ladder for there was none. He was trapped with only two options to offer a sliver of hope: press forward and mitigate the damage that was inevitably coming or die.

"You wanted this?" the icepak was offered.

"Yes and where's that drink?" he demanded, slapping the icepak onto his head.

"Uh...soda?"

"Oh hell! Just get me something already! Water, tea, soda, a bloody energy drink, anything damn it!"

* * *

"Are we really doing this?"

"Yes we are. We have to send a message to the entire solar system."

"I get that. My point is are we really going to go through with this? We're already labeled as extremists. We target military, not civilians."

"So we go after the military hardware only."

"Damn it Pulsar! We need to have a portrait that paints us as Robin Hood and his merry men, not partisans wanting anarchy!"

"So we upload the images and-"

"That's not good enough. Even if we used a camera from the stone age people will say it's fake. We attack the Marsec HQ and we will have everything destroyed."

"Marsec is funded by Solmine Flare! The greedy shits are making a profit off of child slave labor while Marsec gets to randomly kidnap people off the street and either shoot them or experiment on them! The PGU has been a miracle but they have no power here. As much as I want to pull the colonial crap about 'Earth doesn't give a damn about us' I can't. We all know that we need to be united as one people. Humans, hybrids, androids, even the dinosaur aquatics that X-COM is trying to set free need to be united. If any of us are second rate citizens we will crumble."

"I know!... I know. Holy hell I know. I just feel like I'm the only one here with reasoning for the other side of the coin. We are heroes on Mars but here we are disruptors of the peace here and you know I'm not talking about 'here' as in Mega-Primus."

"I get it. Look, we talk it over with the others and handle this like rational people. Besides, remember plan B?"

"Not sure if U-COM will accept us but yes."

"Good. Now let's just focus on the next step. I understand exactly what you're saying and you may be right, but we need to send a message to Earth directly. If I'm wrong...we'll figure it out."

"Right."

"Hey. Pew-pew?"

"Heh, pew-pew."

* * *

Meanwhile from the Temple of the Apocalypse:

"-and yet still we squander our salvation in fear of the unknown! This city has become tainted with the presence of 'defenders' who see our saviors as monsters and enslavers! The Urban Combat Unit-nay the entire Extraterrestrial Combat Unit-is a disgrace to our species! They preach of being the best of humanity when they murder, kidnap, and torture those who disagree with them. They cling to the old world that festered with corruption and bigotry and other curses that would have been cleansed by our masters!

"Our time has arrived to fix the mistakes of the past. We shall bring down the regime of the old world and bring order to the universe! Our masters will forgive our species once they see their true children come to their aid. They shall reward our servitude and bring humanity to true glory! So rise against the monsters of X-COM and their PGU puppets! Destroy their dogma and the lies that blind the people of the true calling! Let the new age begin as it should and let the true rulers return!"

Across the city in the other temples of the Cult of Sirius cheers shook the walls. The time of playing cat and mouse was over.


	11. 3-08-2084, 1314 The Genetic Mayhem

The day was forced into a start. The city was quiet, traffic was sluggish, and anyone who dared to look out a window towards the ominus pyramids in the sky quickly averted their gaze. For Nutrivend, nothing has changed other than a wasted day. Thankfully, the staff was let off the hook for missing the previous day due certain circumstances. Not that it seemed to matter for Genes as her daily routine of checking food dispensers and examining abominations in the forms of vegetables gone wrong was as belittling as before this mess started.

"Is it just me or are these potatoes wiggling like worms?" a coworker questioned as they poked the very odd lump of biomatter with a scalpel.

"Is it even a potato? I thought this was the spaghetti squash," Genes commented.

"It is?" someone asked.

"Well that would explain the 'worms' I guess. But why is it wiggling?" another examined the lump closer.

"You idiots! It's a carrot from group S4-F! Get to work and fix it!" the supervisor screamed.

 _How is that thing a carrot?!_ , Genes thought as she stared at the lump in shock.

* * *

Bolts was bored. No work to do, the technicians were busy playing games to pass the time, and nothing was needed to be done. A few even claimed that the debugging division was busy having a chess tournament due to the lack of work. His processor absently went to the mini-fiasco roughly a month ago testing the Marksman software which was now selling quite well on the market for military contractors. He was certain that most of it was because of him.

"Oi! We've got something!" someone called.

"Finally!" half the room cried out at once.

"What is it?" Bolts asked.

"Nutrivend had another biohazard accident only this time they screwed up installing the software. We've been called in to do it right before we are served pulsating tumor monsters for food."

Everyone laughed and cheered at this. Even without the anxiety the entire lab loathed days like this and any job was better than doing nothing. Bolts was also glad to have something to do other than calculate prime numbers in his head.

"Frankly I'm waiting for them to make an actual monster out of plants. Wonder if U-COM would get called in for that," someone joked.

"Can we not talk about U-COM? I had to rush my grandparents to hospital because they nearly had a heart attack," a voice called.

"My bad! I didn't know!"

"Everyone's stressed. I know I am," Bolts commented.

The group decided to stop talking after that as they headed for the nearest garage. Thankfully the company always had a few spare airtrans vehicles for employee use. Bolts called driving which went unopposed other than the fact that the vehicle would drive itself. Not that he could care, anything that had a cockpit to sit in would be enough to satisfy him despite being the backup driver.

* * *

"Why is that every other day it's a raid or an investigation into Marsec?" Copper growled as he sat in a hovercar.

"Hey man it could be worse," the other officer in the hovercar said.

"Yeah yeah I know. But we can both agree that this is pointless."

"Look we've had this conversation plenty of times. My advice? Bug out and find something else to do. Private investigation, bodyguard for hire, U-COM, just something else. I get it, you want to protect people without being an attack dog and the red tape. I know you are often given the short end of the stick and I end up with the jobs you want which doesn't help but what can I say?"

Both officers huffed as they staked out the Marsec weapons factory in front of them. A tip from the Senate ("officially" that is, unofficially was a wild guess) mentioned that a suspicious transaction was going to happen by the end of the week. To make things more fishy, said transaction would likely involve the more advanced hardware that Marsec develops such as power armor, PEC-4B "lineage" plasma cannons, and an air hawk warrior assault craft.

The scary thing was that these items would be sold within the city because nothing escapes the ever present attention of the PGU outside of city limits. With the city already being a powder keg, whoever has access to these resources could destroy the city. Thankfully, the worst that has happened at the moment was the fiasco involving the U-COM investigation and the fact that Marsec refuses to let Megapol do their job (assuming they would do it in the first place that is).

"The sad thing is that for some dumb reason or another I love this city," Copper sighed as he leaned back against his seat.

"Heh, tell me about it. We love this place and yet we hate it. Would be nice if it actually fit the pretty picture we were told four years ago and not have this mess. What I can't understand is how did it end up like this right from the start? Do people plan for cities to be corrupt from the very beginning these days?" his partner questioned.

"Considering the Extropians and Technocrats? I'd say so considering the only thing they can agree on is sharing the city as a playground."

Both immediately perked at a noise coming from outside of the hovercar. Rolling down a window, they listened and realized immediately what it was.

"Guns," the officer said.

"On it," Copper agreed as the air raid alarm blared.

* * *

"This is Skygaurd, I've got a confirmed visual on hostiles," Johnson heard through the speakers.

"Looks like they're making a mad dash for it," someone stated.

"All craft, weapons free! Pick your targets!" the commander barked.

"Copy that! Engaging hostiles!" the pilot responded.

The traffic system was not the best means of seeing what was happening, but it was far better than the radar blips that barely showed anything. So far the dogfight was going in favor of U-COM and the few Megapol vehicles that were able to join the fray. But no one expected the random SAM.

"What the?! Where did that come from?" a pilot exclaimed.

"There's another! Break! Break!" someone else yelled.

"Who's the nut job in the jacket?" the commander demanded as the screen showed an individual armed with a missile launcher.

"Contact has delivered it's strike team! Make that two!"

"Lock down the buildings and have Megapol evacuate the civilians! I want those craft taken out last year!"

"Got an ID match on our mystery shooter along with other heavily armed individuals! It's the Cult!" Johnson reported.

 _This day just gets more interesting,_ Susan thought to herself as she continued to give orders.

* * *

"Anyone have something that can be used for self defence?" Bolts heard a technician ask.

"Uh...fire extinguishers?" a Nutrivend employee suggested.

"We live in the twenty first century, have survived a double alien invasion involving a three way war, and have built a city that has stuff straight out of a 1950's pipe dream. I doubt anyone here has pitchforks or shovels anymore," another technician said.

"It's a Nutrivend hydrofarm. There's got to be something here. Cutters, scalpels, chemicals, anything that can be improvised. We find a place to barricade ourselves in and deal with anything...not from this solar system," Bolts took charge.

"Who made you the leader?" someone demanded.

"You want to lead? No? Then stop complaining and start thinking. I'd rather be ready for company than be caught off guard."

"He has a good point. Besides, he has combat matrix in him," a technician stated as they searched for anything to use as an improvised weapon.

* * *

"Lock everything down and someone get rid of that carrot!" Genes heard her supervisor yell as the entire complex went into lockdown.

Fungal spore outbreak? Mildly scary but relatively simple to contain. Berserk animal? Automatic security and a few trained guards. Hostile aliens entering the building with unknown intent? Terrifying. Genes still was trying to devise a cohesive thesis on why animals have a better "sixth sense" in terms of danger than humans or hybrids. But right now she was fairly confident she knew what that feeling felt like.

 _No wonder Stinky went ballistic_ , she thought as she disposed of the "carrot" into a biohazard container.

The other scientists frantically but orderly cleaned the lab as they followed biohazard protocols but stayed in the lab. They were safer inside than risking whatever was outside...assuming the security systems are kept below level 4.

"What level are we at?" Genes asked as she realized this fact.

"Level 2 so far. Doors are locked and vents are sealed which gives us...an hour I think until we start having trouble breathing," was the answer.

Everyone gulped at the prospect and avoided the feeling of panic. Rapid breathing would waste the precious oxygen that was now limited and the hazmat suits were behind an inch of metal. Short of a plasma torch to cut through or a Marsec high explosive charge surgically placed, nothing was getting through the door easily.

 _I am going to die here. Why is the term "dead end job" seeming to be more amusing than terrifying right now?_ , Genes thought to herself in morbid humor as the reality of the situation sunk in.

* * *

The wolfhound quietly sped straight for the hydrofarm with the full complement of the U-COM soldiers. They had replaced the loss from yesterday with a fresh recruit that fit the requirements for field work and their armor has been retrofitted to record the action. The atmosphere was cold and tense with everyone knowing that the things roaming the buildings were hostile.

"You will be handling the Nutrivend hydrofarm while Megapol investigates the second location and handle the Cult. We already have clean up and recovery heading their way to make sure any samples are not stolen so you will be forced to maintain the perimeter longer than usual. Leadership will follow previous operations while overall command has been given to 1-1. Nutrivend has stated that they will not tolerate excessive damages so keep collateral to a low. As for the Cult, they'll be handled once civilians are out of danger and we don't have to worry about alien hostiles roaming the city. For now, get in there, save any civilians, eliminate hostiles, and await extraction and further orders. Good luck," Johnson explained through the coms.

"Sounds like fun. Who wants to bet we're going to have an eventful afternoon?" Boss remarked.

"It's going to be eventful one way or the other. Megapol has a few assets to help us here but they're more focused on handling the other location as of now. So far the labs have only managed to explain the 'gun' recovered from our first meeting and the psyche of what we assume to be their primary foot soldier as of now. For those of you who don't know either, it's the big blue muton with the egg throwing bazooka. Anything to add Boss?" Lead stated.

"'Nozzle heads' spit out a relatively weak acid along with eggs while the oversized worm spits stronger acid and gives birth upon death. Those who weren't present for that mess will know what I'm talking about on contact. Priority target for heavy weapons will be the worms while M4K's will target their kids," Boss explained.

"Hate those things," someone from the second team muttered.

"Uh...what about the 'crabs'?" the new recruit asked.

"Keep your head down and shoot on sight. You have about three seconds to kill one after it grabs someone's head before they are mind controlled. This goes for everyone, if crabs are spotted all other targets are secondary unless we meet something worse," Lead said coldly with the original members from the first team agreeing.

The ride was soon over and the teams headed to search the complex. Surprisingly for a building with large amounts of open space, there was a surprising amount of places for someone or something to hide behind. Despite neither of the teams working together before, both groups unanimously agreed that the searching was annoying.

* * *

Copper was begrudgingly thankful that the raids he has conducted gave him experience as another blob of green acid ate away at the wall he was behind. He was also grateful for U-COM to make it clear that his life was more important than their science. In other words, shoot first and forget everything once they clean up. Still would be nice to have something with more firepower than his lawpistol as popping shots like a cheesy western getting him nowhere.

"Just die already!" he yelled at the pink...thing that was spitting an endless amount of acid at everyone it could target.

Another thing he found infuriating, the fact office buildings belonging to the companies had to be palaces was annoying. The only satisfaction he could think of seeing the expensive building was that it was getting trashed.

"Anyone have a grenade?" he called as he reloaded a clip into his gun.

"Have a smoke here!" another officer yelled.

"Use it and give me covering fire!"

"Are you insane?!"

"I'm a stunner on raids. Insanity comes when I'm off duty," he joked as he shied away from the hissing acid.

"Stunner eh? Always felt bad for you guys but I guess you're either too crazy or too stubborn to go down," the officer chuckled before tossing the smoke grenade.

The smoke billowed out and flooded the grassy walkways within seconds. Copper broke cover and after seeing the alien, he shot it. He was mildly surprised to see it still standing after taking the heavy round to the chest at close range but fired again to be sure. The second round finished the thing off and cleared the way for the other officers to move up.

"Reception is likely to be crowded," he muttered.

"More of them! Open fire!" an auto cannon user yelled as more of the otherworldly creatures rushed out of the building.

"Really wishing we had M4K's right now!" someone yelled.

"Hovercars, where are you?! We have hostiles on lobby stairs trying to melt us!" another officer shouted.

"Forget it! Use stun 'nades and knock 'em out!"

"Think it'll work on them?!"

"Just throw 'em already!" Copper angrily yelled as he fired two rounds at another pink creature that got too close.

Much to the relief of the Megapol officers, the gas worked on the aliens albeit with varying degrees of efficiency. Still, they were confused and panicked by the gas and were handled easily. Not leaving anything for chance and unsure on what to do with the aliens, they did what they could to restrain them before moving into the building and look for more hostiles to...pacify.

* * *

"Contact, rafter connecting broccoli to potatoes. Three nozzle heads plus a worm," 2-4 called out.

"We can pincer them if we split up," Boss suggested.

"Risky... Missed shots could hit one group or the other. I'll take my team up, have yours down here for fire support and keeping an eye out for others," Lead said.

Boss gave a nod and shrug at the idea before organizing his team into position. The hunt was more tedious than anything else but so far it was quiet...perhaps too quiet. Chatter from the Nutrivend security reported that a few eggs and worms have been dealt with but other than that there was nothing.

"They've spotted us! Open fire!" Lead yelled, breaking the sense of stillness.

"Suppress them! Conserve ammo in bursts!" Boss ordered as he fired off a quick burst at the aliens.

"Behind! Giant worm!" 1-2 yelled.

"2-3 and 4 get up there! Move!"

"Attention U-COM, there's a botanical lab nearby with scientists trapped. Your engagement has-" a voice cut in.

"We're a bit busy right now!" several voices shouted as the firefight continued.

* * *

Bolts softly bounced the fire extinguisher in his hand as the sounds of gunfire sounded off above him. So far nothing has bothered to pay the technicians a visit. Maybe the aliens were interested in the hydration systems? Frankly he could care less so long as they left him alone right now. The others were bickering on why anyone would target a farm instead of a military target. Strangely, they seem to forget why said farm is important and what would happen if so much as a single building that did a mundane task was taken out of operation.

 _Idiots_ , he thought to himself on just how blind the others were to the consequences on losing a farm.

He kept his focus on the doors instead of paying attention to the argument. U-COM never said anything on what the aliens were but he was certain that he would notice a difference without much debate. The only things that made him anxious where the status of his friends and the lingering thought that his fire extinguisher would be more of a nuisance than a threat should anything come through the door.

"So...uh...anyone interested in the game tomorrow night?" someone blurted causing the room to go silent.

The Nutrivend scientist sat nervously as all eyes turned towards them.

"You're more concerned about a gravball game than the fact we have aliens waging a war right above our heads?!" a different scientist yelled as the gunfire above continued.

"Eh...hockey actually but I'm losing my mind. Give me some slack would ya?" the first one protested.

Bolts internally groaned and tried not to let it show. Another minor perk of being a sentient machine is that he could easily control his body and emotions. But the statement still was-

"What is that?!" a shriek went through the room.

A hissing noise was mixed in with the general mayhem in the room. Once Bolts finally saw the source of said hissing, it was easy to understand why everyone was jumping about as if they were standing on hot coals. Afterall, a snake about a foot and a half long with teeth would be enough to make anyone want to be somewhere else. To make things worse, the thing was spitting at them.

"What do we do?"

"Kill it!"

"I ain't getting near it!"

"Get over here you lit-"

"How fast is this thing?!"

Someone finally managed to grapple the intruding creature and pin it. Bolts decided to deal with the still snapping and spitting jaws by bashing them shut with the extinguisher and keeping it firmly pressed.

"That handles that," he muttered.

"Anyone have duct tape?" the individual currently holding the snake down asked as it tried to thrash.

* * *

Copper was less than thrilled to meet a giant worm or snake with teeth and more acid spit. Thankfully, the monster seemed to agree that the meeting was unwanted and attempted to escape. Attempted being the keyword because while U-COM said the lives of Megapol officers was more important than specimens, they never said anything about targets of opportunity. Besides, his last clip was almost empty and the others were too far away to help currently so his ever present stun grapple would have to do for now. Stomping its head, he fired the last three rounds into its back before draining the battery in the stun grapple.

"Hostile down! I've got a live one here!" he called.

"Crazy stunner," an auto cannon user muttered, "Hover cars, any more hostiles? We have one stunned with several guns aimed at it."

"Uh you sure there's only one? I'm reading there's four unknown lifesigns right in front of you," a hover car pilot answered.

"Four? What do you mean four?" someone demanded.

"Is it just me or is that thing having a stroke?" another voice asked uneasily.

"Well I did stun it," Copper said defensively as he backed away from the alien creature.

The body spasmed uncontrollably before the thing shrieked and (much to the horror of the officers) popped like a balloon. Besides the obvious mess, having three things wiggle out of what remained was enough to give any psychologically numbed individual a bout of unadulterated terror. To make matters worse, once they regained their composure to start killing the things they were unable to hit the creatures.

"Stop trying to stomp on them and just shoot them already!" someone screamed as the sound of a lawpistol went off.

"What's going on in there?" the pilot asked.

* * *

Genes poked and prodded a set of pencils and pens that sat on a workstation in an effort to avoid panic and boredom. The faintest sounds of gunfire had stopped a few minutes ago and one of the monitors hijacked for the news stated that the danger has passed. So far only fifteen minutes has passed so either U-COM was that proficient or the hostile aliens were incompetent. Still, being trapped in a room doing her best not to breath to fast or talk was nerve wracking.

Reaching out with her very limited psionic potential, she was able to notice that a rather large crowd of individuals was standing outside of the door. Who they were and what their intentions are is impossible to tell but she had a decent idea that they were trying to get them out. As far as she was concerned, whoever got her out of this coffin would have her eternal thanks regardless of their character.

 _And once I get home I am going to curl up on the couch with Stinky,_ she thought to herself to disperse the tension inside of her.

The door slowly started to make noises after this thought. Those who noticed looked over and the rest shortly followed. Unnerved, one person reached for a scalpel with a shaky hand which resulted in others arming themselves as well. After a few moments, sparks or red and green danced through the door and continued to do so until a hole was formed.

"Coast is clear folks so put the torches and pitchforks away," an engineer said as they turned off a plasma torch.

"Alright careful with it. Careful!" a different voice barked as the engineer packed up their equipment and the scientists began to exit the lab.

"What is that?" a scientist asked as a few U-COM soldiers were hauling something...very agitated.

"What is what? Paramedics are outside," a U-COM soldier not hauling the thing said nonchalantly.

Genes has seen a few things more than once that she shouldn't have when visiting Cooper and understood the subtle message: shut up and forget everything. Rather cold but having a friend as a cop who has given the same message before made it easy to understand. Still, whatever that thing they (were not) handling was definitely going to be hard to forget.

"Genes?" a familiar voiced questioned.

"Bolts?" Genes realized her friend was currently being escorted by security.

"Alright alright friendship time is over. Everyone outside and be snappy about it," a security officer stated before the two could go further.

Both friends looked at each other and knew there was going to be another interesting evening later.

* * *

Johnson had a difficult time holding the hot coffee in his mouth as a very angry commander Susan stormed into the room and barked for an update. If he had to guess, the idea of bombing the Cult into oblivion was not favored by the Senate or Megapol despite the obvious treason.

"Both sites are secure ma'am! Megapol has their area secure and are awaiting clean up," he said after swallowing the coffee.

"Finally something positive to this mess," Susan fumed, "And our team?"

"No casualties but in need of a resupply. Managed to bag a live one that a few scientists and Cyberweb technicians managed to trap."

"Just got a death threat call from the Cult," someone stated.

"Get rid of them," Susan snarled.

"Already did and blocked the caller ID."

Johnson gave the a tired groan. Ever since the phone call from earlier this day has been one crazed scenario after another. Well, at least they know why the Cult was something to be taken more seriously in the city. Speaking of which-

"Ma'am, are we going to launch an attack on the Cult?" he asked.

"Let them come home and rearm first. Make sure they know that despite us being restricted from bombing the buildings that doesn't mean we can't do some interior redecorating," the commander stated.

"Explosive ammunition authorized?"

"Incendiary as well. Equipment recovery for the raid is a priority but I want maximum damage."

That sent a predatory satisfaction to everyone. They were citizens of Mega-Primus and the Cult always was a pain. Now it was personal.

"I'll warn the fire department about it. Don't need to have half the city go off in smoke," Johnson smirked.

"I'll get the police. Might as well round up any we miss," someone else said.

"Good. By the end of today I want the interior of one of the temples to be ash," the commander ordered.


	12. Rewrite notice

**Hi... Wow this is not a great sight to see huh? I'll be blunt, I have been rather bad at keep this story alive an I have been in the process of rewriting it. I am not one to make false promises, but I am one to stay with the ones I make. I said I would get an X-COM Apocalypse story out and damn it all from this dimension to the alien one I will! I can not and WILL NOT make any promises on when the rewrite will be out. It will be long so if anyone was hoping to see things happen anytime soon, I'm sorry.**

 **The new story will kinda take a different approach than what I was already going for. I think I was overshooting what I wanted to write about. So...I'm going to make changes. I won't say more than that but do know that I refuse to let a promise stay unfulfilled. If you have been waiting then you have my deepest thanks and gratitude for being patient.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Book Typewriter**


	13. Official Rewrite

**So this is it. This story is officially going to be redone from the ground up. To any who have been patient, thank you. Truly you have given me more patience than I deserve for keeping a story alive. That being said, I will do my best to do better.**

 **To help me along, I strongly recommend you comment along the way for the rewrite. I am not the type to leave notes at the end of chapters and usually would take down notes like this immediately once a proper chapter is written. That being said, constructive criticism and feedback will help the story. It will be slow but any encouragement given can motivate me to keep at it. Regardless, I did say I would stick to my promise and I will.**

 **Book Typewriter**


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